New Zealand Parliament to Consider Full-Scale EPA That Would Administer Emissions Trading

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand will have a fully fledged environmental protection authority (EPA) by 2011 if Parliament adopts a draft law introduced Nov. 16 by Environment Minister Nick Smith.

The new EPA would give greater clarity to national environmental functions, Smith said. The Ministry for the Environment would focus on policy, EPA would concentrate on administering regulations, and the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment would serve as the overall “auditor” of the country’s environmental management.

A further rationale for a new EPA is to ensure independence for regulatory functions from ministers. New functions such as national permitting and the administration ...