The objectives of a directive are binding upon Member States, but some flexibility is allowed on the method of mplementation into national legislation. EU regulations, however, are directly applicable in Member States. Principles of Environmental Legislation Over the years, four principles in particular have informed the thinking of both national and EU decision-makers in the field of environment law. All these principles have been brought together under the umbrella notion of sustainable development which seeks to promote development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs . The UK Government embraced all of these principles in its 1990 White Paper on the Environment, This Common Inheritance.
Some environmental legislation relates specifically to the electricity industry.
Approaches to Implementation Regulation . Governments have traditionally implemented environmental legislation by means of regulations, the so-called command and control approach. For example, regulations might specify the minimum technical attributes of equipment for a particular industrial process, or the scale of emissions that can be produced. The EPA broadly maintained this historic approach. Regulations have also been used to make consumers aware of the environmental impacts of their actions.