The National Assembly for Wales' Environment and Sustainability Committee is seeking the views of the public on the Environment (Wales) Bill.
The Bill, introduced by the Welsh Government on 11 May, seeks to legislate in a wide range of issues relating to the environment, including:
- Planning and managing Wales' natural resources at a national and local level.
- Providing Natural Resources Wales with a general purpose linked to statutory 'principles of sustainable management of natural resources' defined within the Bill.
- Enhancing the powers available to NRW to undertake land management agreements and experimental schemes.
- Providing a requirement for public authorities to maintain and enhance biodiversity.
- Creating a statutory framework for action on climate change including targets for reducing emissions of greenhouse gasses.
- Reforming the law on charges for carrier bags.
- Providing powers to Welsh Ministers in relation to waste recycling (including the separate collection of waste); food waste treatment and energy recovery in business.
- Making provision about several and regulated orders for fisheries for shellfish.
- Fees for marine licences.
- Establishing a Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee.
Alun Ffred Jones AM Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee said:
"These proposals, if made law, will affect every aspect of our lives; from big issues such as setting our ambitions for tackling climate change and how the land around us is managed down to details such as how much we pay for a carrier bag and how we sort our recycling.
"It is important that we get this Bill right, as it will have a fundamental impact on how we balance the preservation and restoration of nature with the sustainable use of our natural resources.
"As a Committee, we will now look at this Bill in detail to see if it should become law, and to make sure that, if it is to become law, it is made to the highest standards."