Environmental Protection Bill

Overview

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture is seeking views from stakeholders and the public regarding the introduction of the Environmental Protection Bill (‘the Bill’). We are seeking views on the proportionality of the proposed legislative approach and environmental policies.

The Bill aims to allow environmental protection measures to be developed for industrial operations—both onshore and offshore. The objective is to safeguard the natural environment and public health from human impacts, promote environmental maintenance and restoration, ensure ongoing environmental monitoring and assessment, as well as reporting of protection efforts.

The Bill will provide the necessary powers (‘vires’) for the adoption and application of proposed environmental regulations equivalent to those used in the UK. This will enable a regulatory framework to be developed for managing the environmental impacts of onshore and offshore industrial operations.

The Bill will not seek to promote offshore energy activities but is intended to ensure that the Isle of Man has a proportional legal framework for the protection of the environment from any such activities if they take place, and that the Island can comply fully with international obligations and standards in this area.

The Isle of Man is obliged under international agreements to comply with and implement international standards. These international agreements include:

1. OSPAR – protection of the marine environment - addresses every stage of an installations lifecycle, including discharges, noise, use of chemicals, pollution protocols
    
2. Minimata Convention – addresses mercury releases
    
3. Stockholm Convention – prohibits use of persistent organic pollutants
    
4. Basel Convention – management of waste and international movements
    
5. Vienna Convention – fluorinated gas uses and ozone depleting substances
    
6. European Convention – Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Feedback and summaries of responses will be made available within 12 weeks of this consultation closing (October 2025), on this consultation webpage.

Reasonable adjustments and alternative formats

The Department is committed to equal opportunities and our aim is to make our documents easy to use and accessible to all.

We will take steps to accommodate any reasonable adjustments and provide such assistance as you may reasonably require to enable you to access or reply to this consultation.

If you would like to receive this document in another format or need assistance with accessing or replying to this consultation, please email EnvironmentalProtection@gov.im or telephone +44 1624 685535.

Responding to this consultation and questions

You can respond to this consultation online by clicking on the 'Online Survey' link below. Alternatively you can download a paper version of this consultation in the 'Related' section below and email it to EnvironmentalProtection@gov.im