SIMON Corbell has legislated to increase the powers of the Environment Protection Agency to prevent pollution.

He says the amendments to the Environment Protection Act will allow the EPA to take stronger action when there is the potential for harm to the environment instead of only being able to take action after an incident has taken place.

These new powers allow the EPA to issue on-the-spot fines as well as court imposed penalties of up to $30,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a corporation.

“Protecting our local environment is a challenging task and the legislation will provide the EPA with increased ability to take action against polluters,” Simon said.

“This approach will bring the ACT in line with contemporary environment protection legislation throughout Australia, particularly NSW within which the ACT is a key regional partner. In turn, the legislation will create consistency for businesses that work across state and territory borders.

“It was necessary to ensure that the Act moved with the changing times, technological advances and current industry practices and to be reflective of our community values, Mr Corbell said.

[Photo by Thomas, attribution licence.]