Why does the EPA require an Annual Return?
The Statement of Compliance part of the Annual Return is certification that a licensee has, or has not, complied with the conditions in its licence. This certification is an important part of the licence system, as it requires the licensee to actively monitor its environmental performance during the licence period so that, if necessary, corrective action can be taken to prevent environmental harm. The Annual Return provides the EPA with essential information relating to the operation of licensed parties, facilitating fair and effective licensing. If a licence is subject to load based fees (LBL), the Annual Return also indicates loads of assessable pollutants discharged to the environment. LBL licensees have to pay a fee for the amount of assessable pollutants discharged during each reporting period. LBL is intended to motivate licensees to reduce their output of certain pollutants and in return they will be rewarded with lower licence fees.
