You may be wondering why Shetland Friends of the Earth is 'advertising' a quango! Well nobody else is doing much shouting (besides Friends of the Earth Scotland) so we thought we would give it a go.

Friends of the Earth Scotland had a comment prior to SEPAs formation which can also be found here and in the SEPA.txt file. They have a comment on Enviromental Protection now

Information on SEPA in Shetland is also here and in the SEPA.txt file

This is information below was supplied by Vic Thomas (? from SCENE?)
To read this off line grab the SEPA.txt file

SEPA - the Scottish Environment Protection Agency

On the 1st of April SEPA took over the responsibility for the safe keeping of Scotlands environment, just as the Environmental Agency (EA) does the same for England and Wales. Although the new body has been set up by the government as a Non- Departmental Public Body (a quango in popular terminology), the concept of SEPA is a positive one when one considers the inadequacy of the current weak and fragmented environmental regulatory bodies. Whether SEPA is to succeed in protecting the unique Scottish environment will only be known in a few tears time, but in the meantime this article seeks to describe the functions and raison d'tre of the new watchdog body.
The need for a body such as SEPA was first mooted in the 1990 White Paper "This Common Inheritance" in which the desirability of a wholly integrated pollution control and regulatory body - a one stop shop for pollution issues - was highlighted. Prior to the change seven different bodies performed the various pollution controls functions in Scotland:

• the seven River Purification Boards (RPB) and three Island River Purification Authorities (RPA). In Shetland the SIC's Environmental Health Deparment performs the latter function.
• Her Majesty's Industrial Pollution Inspectorate (HMIPI)
• the waste regulation and local air pollution functions - carried out by the District and Island Councils. In Shetland again carried out by the Environmental Health Department.

• consenting of discharges to the water environment (surface tidal and ground waters)
• conserving water resources as far as practicable
• providing flood warning systems
• granting abstraction licences for irrigation where a control order is in force
• issuing authorisations to prevent, minimise or render harmless the release of substances into the environment from prescribed processes
• authorisation of handling and disposal of radioactive wastes
• registration of persons holding or using radioactive materials
• licensing of waste management activities
• registration of waste carriers and brokers
• regulation of transfrontier shipment of waste
• implementing approved cost recovery charging schemes
• monitoring of pollution
• enforcement action against persons breaching licence conditions or illegally polluting the environment

New Provisions
The Environment Act 1995 also providesSEPA with several new duties and powers:

• a duty to prepare a national waste strategy
• a duty to advise on whether contaminated land should be designated as a 'special site' and also act as an enforcing authority for such sites
• a duty to regulate the 'producer responsibility' proposals
• a function to assess, as far as appropriate, risk of flooding in any area
• a duty to advise planning authorities on flood risks
• status as a consultee on new land drainage works
• a duty to promote the conservation and enhancement of the natural beauty and amenity of controlled waters
• a duty to have regard both to the desirability of conserving and enhancing the natural and man-made environment and to the social and economic needs of any area
• a duty to keep up to date on pollution control technology, and powers to undertake relevant research and development
• powers to carry out assessments of the general state of the environment
• duty to take in to account the likely costs and benefits of exercising its powers
• reserve powers, with Secretary of State approval, to direct local authorities to achieve air quality standards
• powers too require creation of smoke control areas