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30 years of SEPA: timeline

Regulation has evolved over the past three decades, and so have we. These changes have strengthened our role, sharpened our purpose, and increased our impact. Here are some of the milestones and environmental legislation that helped shape us into the organisation we are today.

1990

• the Environmental Protection Act 1990 consolidates laws and creates a framework for environmental protection 

1995

• we are established under the Environment Act 1995

1996

• we officially begin operating on 1 April 1996

1999

• Scotland's first National Waste Strategy is published
• the Vision in Business for the Environment (VIBES) Awards are launched

2000

• The Air Quality (Scotland) Regulations 2000 introduce air quality objectives for pollutants for local air quality management. They are updated in 2002 and 2016
• Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 come into force
• Euratom Basic Safety Standards 1996 are transposed, aligning Scotland fully with international controls on radiation to protect people and the environment

2001

• the Floodline service goes live across Scotland
• NetRegs is launched in partnership with the The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), providing environmental guidance

2002

• The UK Emissions Trading Scheme becomes the first multi-industry carbon trading system in the world

2003

• the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act sets out new arrangements for the protection of the water environment
• Landfill (Scotland) Regulations come into force

2005

• The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 give us new powers to authorise, monitor and enforce controls on activities that could harm Scotland’s water environment
• The EU Emissions Trading Scheme is implemented in the UK via the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2005, covering emissions from energy intensive installations

2007

• Radioactive Contaminated Land (Scotland) Regulations come into force, giving us powers as sole lead regulator for land affected by radioactive contamination

2008

• new regulations for safeguarding the quality of Scotland’s bathing waters and protecting public health are introduced 

2009

• we become the strategic flood risk management authority through the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 
• the first River Basin Management Plans are published

2010

•  legally binding limits for air pollutants are introduced via the Air Quality Standards (Scotland) Regulations 2010

2011

• the First National Flood Risk Assessment is published

2012

• the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 give us new powers to oversee industrial emissions and make sure permits are followed

2013

• we launch the Water Environment Fund

2014

• the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act strengthens our enforcement toolkit

2015

• we produce the First Flood Risk Management Strategies
• the Scottish Landfill Tax scheme is introduced
• we begin regulating the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund

2018

• a new integrated system for regulating radioactive substances is introduced under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR)

2020

• We experience a significant cyber-attack

2021

• UK Emissions Trading Scheme Phase 1 commences. Following EU Exit a comparable cap and trade scheme is implemented in the UK via the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Order 2020

2023

• the Scottish Flood Forecast is launched in partnership with the Met Office

2025

• the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (EASR) come into force for waste, water and industrial activities

More about our 30th anniversary

• Reflections on our 30th anniversary
• Read about our impact
• Sign up to our newsletter for future updates