Source: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/en/eli/ee/528102014002/consolide/current
Timestamp: 2020-08-10 08:53:16
Document Index: 216409980

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 221', '§ 391', '§ 401', '§ 50', '§ 60', '§ 621', '§ 622', '§ 623', '§ 624', '§ 625', '§ 626', '§ 627', '§ 628', '§ 629', '§ 6210', 'art 01', 'art 01', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 221', '§ 391', '§ 41', '§ 401', '§ 22', '§ 25', '§ 51', '§ 56', '§ 47', '§ 48', '§ 50', '§ 47', '§ 52', '§ 50', '§ 41', '§ 52', '§ 49', '§ 59', '§ 53', '§ 53', '§ 53', '§ 49', '§ 56', '§ 53', '§ 49', '§ 22', '§ 41', '§ 42', '§ 53', '§ 53', '§ 67', '§ 50', '§ 60', '§ 59', '§ 59', '§ 67', '§ 621', '§ 38', '§ 38', '§ 38', '§ 39', '§ 626', '§ 629', '§ 401', '§ 6210', '§ 53']

3 Duties of Operator and Representative of Legal Person
§ 221 Duties of body, member of body, officer and authorised representative of legal person
§ 391 Absence of shore or bank path
§ 401 Environmental decisions information system
§ 50 Joint review of applications for environmental permit and granting of one environmental permit
§ 60 Transfer of environmental permit
51 State Supervision and Administrative Supervision
§ 621 Authority exercising state and administrative supervision
§ 622 Special measures of state supervision
§ 623 Specifics of state supervision
§ 624 Use of direct coercion
§ 625 Rate of penalty payment
52 Liability
§ 626 Illegal closure and obstruction of shore or bank path
§ 627 Proceedings
§ 628 Accrual of fine
§ 629 Transfer of data to environmental decisions information system
§ 6210 Transforming prior valid permits into environmental permits
18.12.2014 RT I, 30.12.2014, 6 01.01.2015 – Chapter 5 enters into force as of the entry into force of its implementation Act.
19.02.2015 RT I, 23.03.2015, 6 01.07.2015, in part on 01.11.2016 – entry into force provided for in the Radiation Act [RT I, 28.06.2016, 2]
13.06.2018 RT I, 26.06.2018, 6 06.07.2018, in part 01.07.2018
30.01.2019 RT I, 22.02.2019, 1 01.10.2019, in part 01.07.2019
1) exceeding the limit value of the quality of the environment provided for in subsection 3 of § 7 of this Act;
2) causing the contamination provided for in subsection 5 of § 7 of this Act;
(1) ‘Installation’ means a stationary or mobile technical unit where production operations are pursued or where an activity equal to, directly linked to or having a technical connection with production operations is pursued in a manner resulting in pollution or contamination.
An environmental threat must be prevented. An environmental threat or a significant environmental nuisance must be tolerated where the activity is required due to overriding public reasons, there is no reasonable alternative and required measures have been taken to reduce the environmental threat or the significant environmental nuisance.
Renewable and non-renewable natural resources must be used economically, taking into account their natural replenishment and the availability of reserves for the longest time possible. Rates of use of renewable and non-renewable natural resources are established in the events provided by law.
Before commencing an activity that causes an environmental threat, everyone must, to a reasonable extent, acquire knowledge that, given the type and scope of the activity, is necessary for preventing the environmental threat.
Chapter 3 Duties of Operator and Representative of Legal Person
(3) The operator must avoid using such substances, mixtures or organisms that entail an environmental risk where these can be replaced with substances, mixtures or organisms that entail a smaller environmental risk.
(1) A person who plans on erecting an installation must, upon choosing the location, serve the purpose of reducing environmental nuisances to the maximum extent possible, above all, considered the sensitivity of the area towards the proposed activity, the distance from the residential district as well as the former and possible purpose of use.
(2) The criteria specified in subsection 1 of this section must be taken into account also upon expansion of the operations of the installation or upon otherwise transforming the installation.
(2) The operator must notify the issuer of the permit of the changes proposed regarding the manner of operation of the installation, expansion of the installation or another activity that may result in a significant environmental nuisance or serve as the basis for the amendment of the permit.
The operator’s duties provided for in this Chapter must be applied insofar as it can reasonably be expected.
§ 221. Duties of body, member of body, officer and authorised representative of legal person
A body of a legal person, its member, officer or authorised representative is required to organise the timely and full performance of the financial and non-financial duties and obligations of the legal person under this Act, the Waste Act, the Water Act, the Atmospheric Air Protection Act, the Earth’s Crust Act, the Radiation Act, the Nature Protection Act, the Forest Act, the Fishing Act, the Hunting Act, the Industrial Emissions Act, the Environmental Charges Act, the Environmental Liability Act, and the regulations of the European Union in the fields governed by these Acts.
(2) The environment concerns a person directly where the person often stays in the affected environment, often uses the affected natural resource or otherwise has a special connection with the affected environment.
(3) Upon application of subsection 2 of this section, the environment or natural resource that is likely to be affected is also considered the affected environment or natural resource.
(4) Upon assessing the compliance of the environment with the health and well-being needs, the rights of other persons, public interests and the characteristics of the region are taken into account. The non-compliance of the environment with the health and well-being needs is presumed where the limit value of the quality of the environment has been exceeded.
(5) To uphold the right specified in subsection 1 of this section, one can demand that the administrative authority spare the environment and take reasonable measures to ensure the compliance of the environment with the health and well-being needs.
2) factors, such as substances, energy, noise, flashing light, vibration, radiation or waste, including radioactive waste, emissions, discharges and other releases into the environment, affecting or likely to affect the elements of the environment referred to in subsection 1;
3) measures (including administrative measures), such as legislation, plans, programmes, environmental agreements, and activities affecting or likely to affect the elements and factors referred to in subsections 1 and 2 of this section as well as measures or activities designed to protect those elements;
5) cost-benefit and other economic analyses and assumptions used within the framework of the measures and activities referred to in subsection 3;
6) the state of human health and safety, including the contamination of the drinking water and food chain, and conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures inasmuch as they are or may be affected by the state of the elements of the environment referred to in subsection 1 of this section or, through those elements, by any of the factors, measures or activities referred to in subsections 1 and 2 of this section.
(4) At the request of the person requesting information, the possessor of the information explains the methods of gathering data and grants access to information on the methods of sampling and analysis.
(5) The possessor of information has the right to designate environmental information as information for internal use where:
(6) Where the possessor of information has the right to refuse to release environmental information on the basis of law, the possessor of information must in every particular case, when deciding the release of the information, consider whether the interest served by the refusal outweighs the interest served by the release.
(7) Where the document contained environmental information is being prepared, the details of the author of the document and the estimated time taken to prepare the document are communicated to the person who requested the information.
(2) The information specified in subsection 1 of this section is communicated via broadcasting, printed media or the Internet or in another appropriate manner that effectively ensures the receipt of the information by the potentially affected persons and will not result in unreasonable costs.
(4) Where it becomes evident that there was no threat or that the threat has been eliminated, the administrative authority that informed of the treat must, in the same form and to the same extent as in the notice of the threat, inform of the absence of the threat, provided that the person whose rights were harmed by the notification demands it or there are overriding public reasons for it.
5) environmental protection permits and other administrative decisions that serve as the basis for an activity with a significant environmental impact, and administrative contracts and voluntary contracts relating to the environment;
[RT I, 08.07.2014, 3 – entry into force 01.08.2014, clause 5 enters into force 01.08.2017]
(4) Restricted information is not disclosed on the basis of subsection 3 of this section.
(2) Where it grants the public more effective access to environmental information, the information specified in subsection 1 of this section may be published on another website or in another manner, referring on its website to the source where the information is published.
(3) Where, under the Public Information Act, the possessor of information is not required to maintain a website and does not have a website, the information specified in subsections 1 and 2 of this section is published on the website of the administrative body with whom the possessor of information has the strongest connection under an administrative contract or for another reason.
(2) Where it helps the public more effectively follow the legislative drafting process and to involve the public more effectively, the information specified in subsection 1 of this section may be published on another website or in another manner, referring on its website to the source where the information is published.
(2) Where an environmental organisation contests an administrative decision or a taken administrative step in accordance with the procedure provided for in the Code Administrative Court Procedure or in the Administrative Procedure Act, it is presumed that its interest is reasoned or that its rights have been violated where the contested administrative decision or step is related to the environmental protection goals or the current environmental protection activities of the organisation.
(2) For the purposes of subsection 1 of this section, the promotion of environmental protection also means the protection of the elements of the environment for the purpose of ensuring human health and well-being as well as the research and introduction of the nature and natural cultural heritage.
(2) The permission to stay on a plot of land belonging to another person, except in the yard, is deemed to be granted where the owner has not fenced the plot of land or marked it in a manner that demonstrates the intent to restrict strangers’ stay on the plot or where the intent to restrict the stay cannot be derived from other circumstances.
(21) The existence of the permission specified in subsection 2 of this section is not presumed in the event of entering another person’s plot of land with a power-driven or off-road vehicle.
(5) A state or local authority may limit the stay on a plot of land belonging to it where it is necessary in public interests or for the protection of the interests of third parties, including land users.
(3) The owner cannot prohibit the use of a private road or path on foot, by bicycle or for moving in another similar manner where the use is based on a common custom and is not burdensome on the owner. The use of a private road or path located on yard land is deemed excessively burdensome, unless otherwise provided by law.
(2) The permission to camp or otherwise stay more permanently is presumed to be given outside a clearly delimited area with a compact settlement system, unless the owner has not sold the plot of land or marked it in a manner that indicates the intent to restrict camping or other more permanent stay or where the intent to restrict stay does not arise from other circumstance. The permission is presumed to be granted for no more than one day.
(7) A water body that is not publicly usable may be used only with the permission of the owner. The permission for the public use of a water body is presumed where the water body has not been fenced or marked in a manner that indicates the intent to restrict the use of the water body or where the intent to restrict the use of the water body does not arise from other circumstances.
(8) The state and a local authority may limit the stay on a water body belonging to them where it is necessary in public interests or for the protection of the interests of third parties, including users of the water body.
(3) Where the shore or bank path is flooded, a strip of two metres from the waterline is considered as the shore or bank path (hereinafter temporary shore or bank path).
(6) Where movement on a temporary shore or bank path is impeded, the owner of the shore or bank must ensure passage elsewhere at their immovable, unless it is excessively burdensome on the owner.
(71) The owner of the shore or bank must ensure access to the shore or bank path on the terms and conditions established in the plan.
(8) A foot bridge, bridge or another structure in or above a water body is not part of the shore or bank path and such a structure may be used only with the consent of the owner. The permission of use is presumed where the owner has not fenced the structure or marked it in a manner that indicates the intent to restrict the use of the structure by strangers or where the intent to restrict the use cannot be derived from other circumstances. The owner must allow for the use of the structure where it is necessary for moving along the shore or bank path.
(9) Where a person has obstructed the shore or bank path or access thereto in conflict with the provisions of this section, the person does not, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, develop legitimate expectations regarding the lawfulness of the obstruction.
(5) Where a person has closed the shore or bank path in conflict with the provisions of this section, the person should not, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act, develop legitimate expectations regarding the lawfulness of the closure.
§ 391. Absence of shore or bank path
(1) A public water body does not have a shore or bank path:
1) at a port;
2) in the minimum possible service area of a drinking water and industrial water intake;
3) at a construction works lawfully built on the shore or bank path before the entry into force of the Law of Property Act;
4) at a civil engineering works of a hydrographic service and monitoring station;
5) at a fish farming construction works;
6) in the minimum possible service area of a hydroelectric power plant.
(2) The minimum necessary service area is determined in a detailed spatial plan that is coordinated with the Environmental Board.
[RT I, 28.06.2016, 2 - entry into force 01.11.2016]
(2) An environmental permit entitles the holder to at least one activity specified in subsection 1 of § 41 of this Act. The proceedings of granting environmental permits are set out in this Chapter and in Acts regulating the fields of activity of the permit.
(4) Upon granting an integrated environmental permit, the effects of emissions generated by the proposed activity on the elements of the environment are assessed holistically. The requirements established by an integrated permit must ensure the protection of water, ambient air and soil as well as the management of waste generated at the installation in a manner that prevents the transfer of contamination from one element of the environment to another. The elements of the environment are, for instance, water, ambient air and soil.
§ 401. Environmental decisions information system
(1) The environmental decisions information system is a database the purpose of which is to:
1) simplifying the application for and the processing of integrated environmental permits, environmental permits, radiation practice licences, geological investigation authorisation, exploration permits, the performance of monitoring duties, reporting duties and other duties related to the permit, authorisation or licence as well as the retention, use and availability of collected data;
2) ensuring the safety and physical protection of radiation sources and nuclear materials.
[RT I, 26.06.2018, 6 – entry into force 01.07.2018]
(2) The environmental decisions information system and its statutes are established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the field.
(3) Data on radiation sources and nuclear materials are meant for internal use in the environmental decisions information system.
(4) The controller of the environmental decisions information system is the Environmental Board and the processor is specified in the statutes of the database.
4) extraction of a mineral resource.
5) [Repealed – RT I, 21.12.2019, 1 – entry into force 01.01.2020]
(2) The holding of an environmental permit for an activity specified in subsection 1 of this section is required in the events provided by law.
(4) Where the activities specified in subsection 1 of this Act are spatially or technologically connected, a single environmental permit is granted for these activities.
(5) An environmental permit is issued by the Environmental Board (hereinafter issuer of permit or issuer of environmental permit), unless otherwise provided by law.
5) the purpose and reasons of the proposed activity;
6) the characteristics of the proposed activity;
7) information on a possible environmental nuisance and the place of occurrence thereof, including the exact location of the activity with geographical coordinates (where necessary), the telecommunications of the region, the landscape, the closest buildings, and the state of the environment;
9) the proposed investments for the introduction of the best possible technology where the requirement of the best possible technology is provided by law;
13) [Repealed – RT I, 21.12.2019, 1 – entry into force 01.01.2020]
15) other information required by law or a legal instrument established on the basis of subsection 7 of this section.
(2) It may be provided by law that, upon applying for an environmental permit for an activity, the information specified in subsection 1 of this section does not need to be submitted.
3) other information required by law or a legal instrument established on the basis of subsection 7 of this section.
(4) Where the obligation to pay a state fee exists, the applicant for an environmental permit must pay the state fee before submitting the application.
(7) Detailed requirements and datasets for applications for an environmental permit and the procedure for the submission of applications are established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the field.
(1) After verifying the compliance of an application for an environmental permit with the requirements, the issuer of the environmental permit immediately forwards the application to the local authority of the location of the proposed activity for the purpose of obtaining its opinion.
(2) The local authority submits a written opinion on an application for an environmental permit within one month after the receipt of the application. The submission of the opinion does not restrict the local authority’s right to submit additional positions in the course of further proceedings.
(3) Where proceedings for the assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed activity are carried out for deciding the granting of an environmental permit, the local authority submits an opinion within 21 days after the receipt of a notice specified in subsection 7 of § 22 of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management System Act.
[RT I, 23.03.2015, 6 – entry into force 01.11.2016 – entry into force provided for in the Radiation Act (RT I, 28.06.2016, 2).]
When open proceedings are not carried out, the issuer of the environmental permit immediately informs the person whose rights might be violated or whose duties might be affected by granting or refusing to grant the environmental permit about the receipt of a due application for the environmental permit or about the commencement of proceedings for the amendment of the environmental permit.
(1) Where an application for an environmental permit complies with the requirements established by legislation, the issuer of the permit, in the event of open proceedings, immediately and in accordance with §§ 25–32 of the Administrative Procedure Act informs about the submission of the application the person whose rights might be violated or whose duties might be affected by granting or refusing to grant the environmental permit, including:
1) the owner of the immovable bordering the immovable of the location of the proposed activity;
2) the person that possesses an immovable that is affected by the proposed activity to the extent that considerably exceeds the ordinary impact.
(11) The issuer of the permit does not need to inform the owner of the immovable bordering the immovable of the location of the proposed activity in the manner specified in subsection 1 of this section where the proposed activity has an insignificant impact.
(2) Persons are notified of other stages of the proceedings, except the making of an administrative decision specified in § 51 of this Act and the granting or refusal to grant a permit, including of the partial granting of an environmental permit in accordance with § 56 or 58 of this Act, in the manner specified in subsection 1 of this section only when they clearly request it.
(3) Upon informing persons in accordance with the procedure set out in subsection 1 of this section, the information specified in subsection 1 of § 47 of this Act must be submitted to the persons.
(31) Where the document is to be delivered by post, it is sent to the party to the proceedings by non-registered mail.
(4) This section does not apply where the number of the persons specified in subsection 1 of this section exceeds 100.
(1) Where an application for an environmental permit complies with the requirements established by legislation, the issuer of the environmental permit, in the event of open proceedings, immediately publishes a notice on the submission of the application, indicating the following:
1) a brief description of the proposed activity;
3) information on the location of the proposed activity;
4) information on the proposed term of validity of the environmental permit;
7) the time and place of displaying the application for the environmental permit and the draft administrative decision to be made thereon where the environmental impact is not assessed for deciding the granting of the permit and the draft administrative decision has been completed by the time of publication of the notice or its time of completion is known;
8) the time limit for submission and the addressee of proposals and objections (hereinafter jointly position) and questions where the notice publishes information on the time and place of the public display;
9) where necessary, information on whether consultations on the cross-border impact are held with another country.
(2) The notice specified in subsection 1 of this section must be published in the official publication Ametlikud Teadaanded and in the local newspaper or county newspaper. The notice does not need to be published in the local newspaper or county newspaper where the environmental nuisance or environmental risk arising from the proposed activity is so small that there is no sufficient public interest in it. The notice must be published in at least one national newspaper where the activity permitted in the environmental permit may result in a significant regional or national environmental nuisance. Where necessary, the notice may be published in a national newspaper also in other events.
(3) [Repealed – RT I, 25.05.2017, 1 – entry into force 04.06.2017]
(4) Within seven days from the receipt of an application for an environmental permit, the rural municipality or city government publishes on the website of the rural municipality or city government an accessible notice on the receipt of the application, indicating at least the information specified in clauses 1–3 and 5 of subsection 1 of this section. The notice must be available on the website until a decision has been made on the application.
(5) A notice of the displays and discussions is sent to their electronic mail address or postal address of a person that has requested information on public displays and discussions held in the course of the proceedings of an environmental permit.
(6) Where the time and place of the display of an application for an environmental permit and the draft administrative decision to be made on the application for the environmental permit or the time limit and addressee of submission of a position and questions was not indicated in the notice specified in subsection 1 of this section, a notice containing this information is published in accordance with the requirements set out in subsections 2 and 21 of this section immediately after the completion of the draft administrative decision.
(1) An application for an environmental permit and the draft administrative decision to be made thereon are displayed to the public by the issuer of the permit in accordance with the procedure provided for in § 48 of the Administrative Procedure Act in at least one public building or place of the rural municipality, city or another settlement of the location of the proposed activity or at the seat of the issuer of the environmental permit or at the location of the proposed activity. The issuer of the permit determines the location of the display, taking into account the possible extent and scope of the environmental nuisance of the proposed activity.
(2) The draft administrative decision to be made on an application for an environmental permit is not displayed to the public in accordance with the procedure specified in subsection 1 of this section where the environmental nuisance or environmental risk arising from the proposed activity is so small that there is no sufficient public interest in it.
(3) In the course of the public display, the documents specified in subsection 1 of this section must be available on the website of the issuer of the environmental permit until a decision on the application has been made.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit decides the granting of the permit after discussing the matter in a public discussion in the course of which everyone has the right to orally express an opinion on the draft environmental permit and the proceedings of granting it. In the events provided for in subsections 2 and 3 of § 50 of the Administrative Procedure Act the granting of the environmental permit may be decided without organising a discussion.
(2) Where the time of a discussion has not been announced along with the announcement of a display, the issuer of the environmental permit informs the public about holding a discussion at least ten days in advance in accordance with the procedure established in § 47 of this Act.
(4) Before deciding whether to issue an environmental permit, the issuer of the permit sends to the applicant the positions expressed and questions asked in the public display and discussion, so that the applicant could examine them and express an opinion thereon.
(5) Where an application for an environmental permit or the draft administrative decision to be issued thereon is substantially amended after the public display, the issuer of the permit may organise a repeat public display, taking into account the presumable impact of the change on the persons concerned and the interests of the applicant. Where it is necessary for making the right decision on the matter, the issuer of the environmental permit may organise a repeat public discussion.
(11) The time spent on eliminating the deficiencies of an application is not included within the time limit of granting an environmental permit.
(2) Where the granting of an environmental permit is decided without open proceedings, the permit is granted or refused within 30 days as of the receipt of a due application, unless otherwise provided by law.
(3) In the events provided for in clauses 1 and 2 of subsection 1 of § 52 of this Act, the refusal to grant an environmental permit is decided within 20 days as of the receipt of a proper application.
(4) The time limit specified in subsection 1 of this section is not applied where the requested activity is not permitted without the establishment of a plan and no plan has been established within 30 days as of the submission of the application for the environmental permit. In such an event the granting of the environmental permit is decided within 60 days after the establishment of the plan. Where the required plan is established more than 90 days after the submission of a due application for an environmental permit, the granting of the environmental permit is decided within 30 days as of the establishment of the plan.
§ 50. Joint review of applications for environmental permit and granting of one environmental permit
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit may, at the request of an applicant for a permit, issue a single environmental permit for the activities of the same person, which are specified in subsection 1 of § 41 of this Act and take place in a different location, or amend the persons existing environmental permit in order to authorise new activities if it is justified by the principle of the purposefulness of the proceedings or it is practical from the point of view of exercising supervision.
(2) Upon granting a single permit for activities that are spatially or technologically connected, the requirements established in the legislation regulating the field must be taken into account in addition to the requirements established in this Act. In the event of differences between the requirements, the strictest legal rules is applied, where justified.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit may, at the request of an applicant for the environmental permit or on its own initiative, bindingly identify a circumstance that is of significance upon final resolution of the matter before granting or refusing to grant the environmental permit, including the absence of a ground for refusal to grant the environmental permit as specified in clauses 1–4 or 8–10 of subsection 1 of § 52 of this Act.
(2) The making of a preliminary administrative decisions specified in subsection 1 of this section is decided in accordance with the provisions regulating the granting of an environmental permit. The making of such a preliminary administrative decision does not preclude the requirement to adhere to the procedural time limits set out in § 49 of this Act upon reviewing an application for an environmental permit.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit refuses to grant the environmental permit where:
2) the applicant for the environmental permit does not have the consent of the owner of the place of business for using the immovable belonging to the owner or the consent of the owner of the immovable located in the area of impact of the requested activity, provided that, according to the law, the consent of the owner of the immovable located in the area of impact is prescribed by law or the requested activity significantly harms the interests of the owner of the immovable located in the area of impact;
3) the requested activity does not apply the best possible technology where the requirement of application thereof is prescribed by law;
4) the proposed activities do not comply with the requirements provided by law;
7) in the course of the activity proposed on the basis of the permit natural resources are used clearly impractically or the state of the natural resources is considerably worsened, given the principle of the sustainable use of the renewable and non-renewable natural resources;
8) upon addition of emissions arising from the activity proposed on the basis of the environmental permit, the limit value of the quality of the environment would be exceeded. By way of exception, an environmental permit may be granted where the limit value of the quality of the environment is exceeded, but only for up to six months, and the interest in granting the permit outweighs the environmental risk;
9) the environmental nuisance emerging from emissions generated by the activity proposed on the basis of the environmental permit would bring about a situation where, for the purpose of adhering to the limit values of the quality of the environment, an environmental permit could not be granted to another person henceforth and the public interest in not granting the requested permit for the purpose of preventing the environmental nuisance overrides the interest in granting the requested environmental permit;
(2) On the ground specified in clause 8 of subsection 1 of this section, the granting of an environmental permit may be refused where, upon granting the requested environmental permit, the adherence to the limit value of the quality of the environment cannot be ensured by amending or revoking another environmental permit on the ground provided for in clause 3 of subsection 1 of § 59 of this Act.
(3) Where the granting of an environmental permit for some of the activities specified in an application may be refused, the permit must, at the request of the applicant, be granted for the activities for which it is permitted to grant the permit.
2) the address and contact details of the permit holder;
3) the exact address of the place of business, where necessary, with the geographical coordinates;
11) in the event provided by law, other proposed secondary conditions of the environmental permit;
(2) An environmental permit is granted for an unspecified term, unless at least one of the following grounds exists:
1) the permit is requested for a fixed term;
2) the activity of the holder of the environmental permit, including the technology to be used or the state of the environment is expected to change;
3) there are justifying circumstances from the point of view of environmental protection;
4) other cases have been provided by law.
(21) An environmental permit may be granted for a fixed term where the granting of the permit is related to another fixed-term administrative decision or contract of use.
(3) The dataset of an environmental permit and the procedure for granting an environmental permit is established by a regulation of the minister responsible for the field.
Where a detailed plan needs to be established for an activity to be permitted by an environmental permit or for the erection of a building for which a building permit will not be issued before an environmental permit is granted, the environmental permit is not issued before such detailed plan has been established.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit may, before reviewing the entire application for the environmental permit, grant an environmental permit for some activities specified in the application where the applicant request it and no grounds for refusal to authorise such activity exist or refuse to grant an environmental permit for some activities specified in the application where an environmental permit for such activities cannot be granted.
(2) The issuer of an environmental permit may decide the partial granting of the environmental permit on its own initiative where it is justified. In such an event, the position of the applicant regarding the partial granting of the environmental permit must be heard.
(3) Upon partial granting of an environmental permit, the conditions specified in subsection 1 of § 53 of this Act are established for ensuring the lawfulness of the permitted activity.
(4) Upon partial granting of an environmental permit, it can be stipulated that the conditions specified in clauses 5–11 of subsection 1 of § 53 of this Act, which were determined upon the partial granting of the permit, are amended upon reviewing the application. In such an event the holder of the permit cannot expect that such secondary conditions of the environmental permit will not be amended.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit may grant the environmental permit also in such a manner that the conditions set out in clauses 6 and 8–11 of subsection 1 of § 53 are decided later where the initial assessment shows that the circumstances serving as the basis for the refusal of the permit are absent and the fulfilment of the possible conditions of the permit is not so burdensome on the applicant in performing the proposed activity that it would result in the non-performance of the proposed activity. In such an event the conditions of the environmental permit must be determined within the time limit provided for in § 49 of this Act. The provisions of § 56 of this Act apply to the granting of an environmental permit in such a manner.
(2) Upon granting an environmental permit in accordance with the procedure set out in subsection 1 of this section, the conditions established in clauses 6 and 8–11 of subsection 1 of § 53 may be determined temporarily, until the conditions are determined finally within the time limit provided for in § 49 of this Act. Where the issuer of the environmental permit does not determine the final conditions of the environmental permit within the time limit, the temporary conditions of the environmental permit are deemed to be the final conditions.
(3) In accordance with the procedure specified in subsections 1 and 2 of this section, an environmental permit is not granted before the publication of a notice in subsection 7 of § 22 of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management System Act, provided that an assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed activity is carried out upon granting the permit.
(4) A claim against an environmental permit established in accordance with the procedure specified in subsections 1 and 2 of this section may be filed with the administrative court in accordance with the procedure established in the Code of Administrative Court Procedure within 30 days after the date of announcement of the administrative decision made on the determination of the conditions of the environmental permit or as of the day when the temporary conditions of an environmental permit become final.
(2) Where the number of persons specified in subsection 1 of this section exceeds 100, the environmental permit or the decision not to grant the environmental permit is delivered only to the applicant.
(3) An environmental permit is announced by publishing a notice in the official publication Ametlikud Teadaanded and in the local or county newspaper. The notice does not need to be published in the local or county newspaper where the proceedings of application for an environmental permit were not governed by the provisions regulating open proceedings or where the environmental nuisance or environmental risk related to the proposed activity is small and there is no sufficient public interest in it. The notice must be published in at least one national newspaper where the activity permitted in the permit may result in a significant regional or national environmental nuisance. Where necessary, the notice may be published in a national newspaper also in other events.
(31) The costs of publication in a newspaper must be borne by the applicant for the environmental permit.
(4) A notice specified in subsection 3 of this section must contain at least the following information:
1) which one of the activities specified in subsection 1 of § 41 of this Act is proposed;
2) the data specified in clause 1 of subsection 1 of § 42 of this Act;
(5) An environmental permit or a decision refusing to grant it is published in the environmental decisions information system.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit amends the conditions of the environmental permit where:
1) the holder of the environmental permit requests that the data specified in clause 1 or 2 of subsection 1 of § 53 be amended, including in the event of the transfer of a building used or an installation operated on the basis of the environmental permit;
3) the issuer of the environmental permit would have had the right not to grant the permit due to a subsequent change of the circumstances, including due to the development of the best possible technology, provided that the use thereof is prescribed by law, or due to a change of the extent of an environmental risk or due to a subsequent amendment of a provision of law, and the amendment of the environmental permit is justified by the need for more extensive protection of the environment or another interest that overrides the person’s expectation that the environmental permit remains in force.
(2) The issuer of an environmental permit may amend the conditions of the environmental permit where:
2) [Repealed – RT I, 23.03.2015, 6 – entry into force 01.11.2016 – entry into force provided for in the Radiation Act (RT I, 28.06.2016, 2).]
3) the provision of law that served as the basis for the conditions specified in 5–11 of subsection 1 of § 53 of this Act has become ineffective;
(3) Upon amendment of an environmental permit, clause 2 of subsection 4 of § 67 of the Administrative Procedure Code does not apply.
(4) An application for the amendment of an environmental permit is reviewed by the issuer of the environmental permit in accordance with the procedure established for granting environmental permits. In the event provided for in clause 1 of subsection 1 of this section, the environmental permit is amended within seven days as of the receipt of the application.
(41) Upon amendment of an environmental permit, subsection 2 of § 50 of this Act is applied, taking into account, in addition to the provisions of this Act, also the requirements established in the legislation regulating the amended field.
1) where the amendment of the environmental permit does not affect the extent of the environmental risk, the environmental impact is not assessed upon amendment of the environmental permit and there is no other overriding public interest in carrying out open proceedings;
2) where expedited proceedings are required for the prevention of an environmental threat;
3) in the event provided for in clause 1 of subsection 1 of this section.
§ 60. Transfer of environmental permit
(1) The holder of an environmental permit has the right to fully or partially transfer the rights and duties arising from the permit to another person during the term of validity of the permit.
(2) To change the data of the holder of an environmental permit, the permit holder and the applicant for the permit must submit a joint application to the issuer of the environmental permit. The application must specify the date on which the data of the permit holder is changed. An application for changing the data of an environmental permit holder in the environmental permit must be submitted no later than ten days before the arrival of the date.
(3) The issuer of an environmental permit refuses to change the data of the environmental permit holder in the environmental permit where the applicant for the permit does not meet the requirements established to a permit holder by law.
(4) The issuer of an environmental permit may refuse to change the details of the permit holder where there are justifying circumstances from the point of view of environmental protection.
(1) On the grounds provided for in subsection 1 of § 59 of this Act, the holder of an environmental permit may suspend the validity of the environmental permit in full or in part for up to three months.
(2) The suspension of the validity of an environmental permit is decided without open proceedings.
(1) The issuer of an environmental permit revokes the environmental permit:
2) where the permit holder dies and the activity permitted under the permit is related to the person of the permit holder or the passive legal capacity of the permit holder terminates without legal succession;
3) where the activity permitted under the permit is not commenced within two years as of the granting of the permit.
4) [Repealed – RT I, 22.02.2019, 1 – entry into force 01.10.2019]
1) on the grounds provided for in § 59 of this Act where the public interest or the interest of a third party cannot effectively be protected by amending the permit;
2) where the permit holder does not fulfil the requirements provided by the permit or law and the revocation of the permit is demanded by an overriding public interest or the permit holder has been penalised for such offence;
3) where the permit holder has knowingly given false information that influenced the granting of the environmental permit.
(3) Upon revocation of an environmental permit, clause 2 of subsection 4 of § 67 of the Administrative Procedure Code does not apply.
(4) An environmental permit is revoked without open proceedings where, in the event of the validity of the permit, there is an environmental threat or a significant environmental nuisance or where the administrative authority does not consider it necessary to carry out open proceedings due to the minor effects arising from the revocation of the environmental permit.
[RT I, 28.06.2016, 2 – entry into force 01.11.2016]
Chapter 51 State Supervision and Administrative Supervision
§ 621. Authority exercising state and administrative supervision
(1) The Environmental Inspectorate exercises state supervision and administrative supervision over adherence to §§ 38 and 39 of this Act and to the requirements established on the basis thereof.
(2) Supervision over adherence to the requirements established in §§ 38 and 39 of this Act, except subsection 7 of § 38 and subsection 3 of § 39, is, in addition to the Environmental Inspectorate, exercised by the local authority.
(1) The Environmental Inspectorate may enter a marked immovable without the presence of the possessor or another entitled person where:
(2) The possessor does not afterwards need to be informed about the entry to the possession on the ground provided for in subsection 2 of this section where no supervisory or offence proceedings were conducted after the entry.
(4) For the purpose of exercising supervision, an official of the Environmental Inspectorate may, using a vehicle, including an off-road vehicle or a water craft, enter and move in a land or water area even where legislation prohibits entry to and movement in such area for environmental protection purposes.
Chapter 52 Liability
(1) The penalty for the illegal closure or obstruction of a shore or bank path or access thereto is a fine of up to 300 fine units.
(2) The penalty for the same act, where committed by a legal person, is a fine of up to 3200 euros.
Where the body conducting extrajudicial proceedings, which imposed a fine, is the rural municipality government or the city government, the fine imposed for the misdemeanour specified in § 626 of this Act is transferred to the budget of the local authority.
§ 629. Transfer of data to environmental decisions information system
(1) Until the establishment of the environmental decisions information system, the data of the permits specified in subsection 1 of § 401 of this Act and the data related to the performance of duties and obligations associated with the permits are kept in the environmental register or in another information system in the area of administration of the Ministry of the Environment.
(2) The time limits for the transfer of the data to the environmental decisions information system are set out in the statute of the database.
§ 6210. Transforming prior valid permits into environmental permits
(1) Where, as of 1 January 2020, a person holds a waste permit, hazardous waste handling permit, permit for special use of water, water permit, air pollution permit or extraction permit for spatially or technologically connected activities, the permit holder may submit to the issuer of the permit an application for the issue of a single environmental permit for these activities.
(2) The issuer of the permit transforms a waste permit, permit for special use of water, water permit, air pollution permit and extraction permit issued before 1 January 2020 into an environmental permit with a dataset established on the basis of subsection 3 § 53 of this Act within a reasonable time. In such an event, the issuer of the permit decides the amendment of the prior valid permit without open proceedings.
(3) The processing of an application specified in subsection 1 of this section and the taking of a step specified in subsection 2 is discharged from the payment of a state fee where the purpose of the proceedings is to join permits in force as of 1 January 2020 or the transformation thereof into a permit with a new dataset and no changes are made to the terms and conditions of the permit besides those arising from the joining of the permits.
This Act enters into force at the time and in accordance with to the procedure provided for in the General Part of the Environmental Code Act Implementation Act.
1Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC (OJ L 41, 14.02.2003, pp 26–32); Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC (OJ L 156, 25.06.2003, pp 17–25); Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (codification) (OJ L 26, 28.01.2012, pp 1–21); Directive (EU) 2015/2193 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from medium combustion plants (OJ L 313, 28.11.2015, pp 1–19).
[RT I, 03.07.2017, 5 - entry into force 13.07.2017]