EPA to begin compliance enforcement exercise in Volta Region

The Volta Regional Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is gearing up to launch a compliance enforcement exercise starting in March 2024. This initiative aims to ensure that all undertakings within the region adhere to the provisions stipulated in the EPA's Act and related regulations.

These regulations encompass various legislative frameworks, including the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1994 (Act 490), the Environmental Assessment Regulations, 1999 (LI 1652), the Fee and Charges (Miscellaneous Provision) Act, 2022 (Act 1080), the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control and Management Act, 2016 (Act 917), and the Hazardous Electronic and other Wastes (Classification), Control and Management Regulations, 2016 (LI 2250).

Under the EPA's Act, an undertaking encompasses a wide array of activities, including enterprises, development schemes, constructions, projects, and modifications, whose implementation may significantly impact the environment. This definition also extends to the extension, abandonment, demolition, rehabilitation, or decommissioning of such undertakings.

Mr. Hope Smith Lomotey, the Volta Regional Director of the EPA, emphasized the importance of ensuring that all undertakings, whether owned by the government or private entities, are regularized in accordance with environmental regulations. Lomotey highlighted that enforcement notices have already been issued to some facilities, and ongoing processes are in place to ensure compliance.

Failure to adhere to the directives issued by the Agency could result in the closure of non-compliant facilities and subsequent prosecution, warned Mr Lomotey. He urged citizens to proactively engage with the EPA office to regularize undertakings that may have commenced construction without proper environmental permits, those operating without valid permits, those with expired permits, and those operating in non-compliance with environmental regulations.

As the compliance enforcement exercise looms, the EPA remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the environment and ensuring that all activities within the Volta Region adhere to established environmental standards and regulations.