2.3 SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION (ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS)

Environmental regulations are rules or orders having force of law and are issued by a competent authority. These regulations are made under specific provisions of the relevant principal legislation mentioned above. Regulations vest wide powers, mostly on Ministers of relevant Ministries¹, to permit, limit, control or prohibit the carrying out of any activities or using particular materials, instruments or methods over which they have regulatory competence.

1. See for example, section 8 of the Fisheries Act, No. 6 of 1970; section 19 of the Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone Act, and section 94 of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act of 1981. Some principal laws set environmental standards to be observed, such as those discussed below. In other cases, they are set in regulations. In addition, some of the new policy instruments discussed in section 2.5 may also eventually be reflected in principal or subsidiary legislation.