The UK Environment Act 1995: Comparison to Evolving U.S. Environmental Laws

Differences and similarities between U.S. and U.K. approaches to environmental legislation are considered. The U.K. Environment Act 1995 was interpreted as showing convergence between U.S. and U.K. approaches to the evaluation and remediation of past contamination. The U.K. Act and the guidance which was to accompany it showed similarities to U.S. House of Representatives Bill HR 1022 and evolving state environmental legislation. In both cases, both cost and benefit featured in law and regulations governing actions designed to deal with contamination. Major differences between U.S. and U.K. related to definitions of contaminated land. In the U.K. contamination was seen as relative to the use to which land was to be put.