Regionala variationer mellan miljötillstånd

An environmentally hazardous activity, where surface water management exists, can be bound by Swedish law to apply for an environmental permit or has a duty to report its activity. In recent years, the environmental permitting regulations have undergone comprehensive changes where old practices and environmental quality standards are phased out and new ones introduced. In this study, a previously unexplored field is being investigated, which is how county administrative boards and companies experience the change in the permitting regulation process. In order to clarify these issues, both county administrative boards and companies are incorporated in this study for both sides' view of the permitting process. Stena Recycling, representing the Swedish companies in this study, have noticed that their waste facilities have received very different permit conditions in relation to the management and discharge of surface water in different parts of Sweden, despite the facilities undertaking similar activities. The aim of this study is to investigate the differences between the plants, and how that impacts their permits. This work will help both the county administrative government and the companies to understand each other better. A case study of Stena's facilities has provided an understanding of the companies' current situation. It has been followed up by interviews with the county administrative boards to get a direct insight into their environmental permitting work. This study shows that there are regional differences between county administrative boards in how they manage and distribute environmental permits. This is something that the county administrative boards are aware of, and county administrative boards have now started to interact to develop a more united approach to the environmental permit application and consultation process. Factors like local conditions, environmental quality values and the status of receptors did not influence the permits conditions as had been anticipated.