Protecting our environment is a responsibility that rests with us all, and it’s not something we can achieve unless we have the courage to act.

Yes, change can be hard, it can seem scary, but it also has the power to be truly transformative. It’s that transformative change SEPA has welcomed with the implementation of the amended Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR) - a once in a generation shift in environmental regulation and the biggest advancement in environmental legislation since our inception almost three decades ago.

Synthesising eight existing pieces of environmental legislation into one was never going to be easy, particularly since it involved bringing together for the first time all of our main regulatory regimes - water, waste management and industrial activities alongside radioactive substances.

No, it wasn’t easy. In fact, it involved a seismic shift in how we regulate and was the result of significant and sustained effort from across our regulatory, legal and support teams all over Scotland. It required us to dig deep and to lean into new ways of thinking and doing and working together.

And more than that, it required us to bring about this huge shift in parallel with the continued delivery of our important public duties.

Protecting our environment is a responsibility that rests with us all but,........

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