Industrial units need consent from the State Pollution Control Board under the Water and Air Acts: first to establish, then to operate. The second is time-limited and must be renewed.
Where problems begin
Expansions undertaken without amended consent, renewals filed late and conditions that are quietly not complied with are the usual triggers for show-cause notices and closure directions.
A simple control
A consent register — each consent, its conditions, its expiry and the person responsible — is the most effective protection. It also makes inspections and audits far easier.
Where a notice has already been issued, an early, well-documented response is usually more effective than litigation after a closure order.
This note is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own matter, see our Environmental Law practice or contact the firm.
