Industrial Nuisances and Risks

This is certainly one of the oldest fields of government action since plant generating nuisances have been regulated by the state since the time of Napoleon.
Today, firms listed as “classified installations” in the sectors of chemistry, quarries, agriculture... are subject to regular compliance inspections by the “DRIRE” under the Law of July 19, 1976.
The “DPPR” is actively involved in facilitating inspections of classified installations.
The Ministry is also particularly concerned with environmental protection for the small and medium-sized businesses and industries: a reduction of discharges into water and atmonspheric releases, integration into the landscape and safety... In general, the “DPPR” promotes actions designed to ensure that environmental factors are taken into account in corporate industrial and marketing strategies and in development of clean technologies.
Lastly, the Ministry drafts regulations on genetically modified organisms; assists with the quarry master plans for the departments ; and conucts investigations into the discharge of waster into the environment from basic nuclear plants. It encourages a pro-active approach on the part of corporations with the implementation of eco-audits.

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The Environment and
Major Risks

The policy of prevention for major risks developed since 1982 by the “DPPR” focuses on major policies: on the one hand, it is striving to improve knowledge of risks and their location; ont the other, it is helping reduce population exposure, for instance through zoning regulations in hazardous areas or by regulatory measures regarding, for example, the installation of camping sites. But the “DPPR” is going further, and seeking to promote a true culture of “risks awareness”; this requires disseminating information on preventive action among populations located in hazardous areas as well as developing partnerships with local actors concerned with risks: elected officials, fire departments, the police and associations...

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The atmosphere and
the Greenhouse Effect

The Ministry is proposing policies to protect the atmonsphere (regulations, taxes...) and to control the greenhouse effect. Similarly, the “DPPR” is responsible for minitoring air quality, for which it relies on air pollution monitoring and warning systems located throughout France. However, simply reducing emissions of industrial pollutants is not sufficient to improve air quality. To a depper extent, the modes of consumption and use of transportation must be modified. This approach has been undertaken with trucking companies in roder to encourage them to adopt a “combined road-rai” transportation system.
Simultaneously, the Ministry is encouraging all the efforts undertaken by industries and farmers to develop clean technologies or fuel that produce less pollution.

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From Waste to
Noise Pollution Control

The disposal and recycling of waste is mobilizing a nimber of private and public actors. The”DPPR” is promoting the waste productio prevention, encouraging recycling and regulating disposal. It also assists with the monitoring of cross-border movements.
The Ministry’s actions have enabled implementing a tax, and since 1992, establishing collections sytems to recycle waste : “Eco-emballages” for packing, “Adelphe” for glass, “Cyclamed” for medical drugs… Recycling industries have also been developed.
At the local level, the “DPPR” is contributing to expanding dialogue for the drafting of regional and district plans for waste disposal. As for soils, the Department is focusing its efforts on contaminated site clean-up, for which a national inventory has been carried out. The Ministry’s policy has two other major features:

• promoting and developing the environmental quality of products (ecolabelling, life-cycle analysis…).

• monitoring products with a significant environmental impact: today, or example, the toxicity of chemiccal compounds is tighty monitored and the Ministry is participating in tne actions of the European Union, the OECD and the UNEP on controlling chemical products that threaten the stratospheric ozone layer.

Improving the quality of life of the general public is a concern of the Ministry, this also implies reducing noise pollution. The “DPPR” drafts regulations for noise control, and ensures interministerial cooperation on this issue. Within this framework, it participatesin actions aimed at preventing and limiting the noise of activities, machinery, vehicles and materials as well as ground transportation infrastructures.
Likewise, it has encouraged the implementation of support systems for airport area residents. It is contributing to the effort to improve buildings, wether residential or public (new or old). It also assists local authrities to implement a prevention policy.

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