William Wilson is a highly experienced environmental and energy lawyer, advising companies, governments, regulators and other clients on a wide range of environmental and energy law, regulation and policy. Experience includes working with the UK government, with each of the devolved governments within the UK, at EU level, and internationally on legislative drafting projects.

He is Recommended in Who’s Who Legal (WWL) Environment 2023

https://www.lexology.com/wwl/report/environment-climate-change

 Examples of recent work include:

 Environmental law and regulation

  • Advice on impacts of Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 - helping an organisation to assess its impacts, and to advocate for better environmental protection

  • Advice on environmental permitting and water discharge issues - enabling a contractor to meet the regulator’s requirements without damage to its business

  • Evidence to Welsh Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee on new structures for Governance and oversight of environmental law - contributing to the consultations on new Welsh legislation

  • Advice on protected species laws across the UK for a major infrastructure developer - enabling it to plan for uninterrupted compliance with laws in different UK jurisdictions

  • Biodiversity Net Gain Worshop for leading companies, covering new legal obligations and national and international policy context, enabling group-wide planning for emerging regulation

Water Law

  • Advice to a water company - successful application for an Enforcement Undertaking in place of prosecution

  • Water and environmental law advice to water companies and regulators.

  • Consultant Editor, Halsbury’s Laws, Water & Waterways Vols 100 & 101, (2018 and 2024)

 Nuclear 

  • Legislative drafting project - helping to develop drafts of a new nuclear law for a country in Europe, taking account of developing regulation of Small Modular Reactors

  • Nuclear law advice to regulators, new build operators, waste operations, transport companies and defence bodies covering most nuclear licensed sites in the UK.

  • Contributor to two books on nuclear law, and taught nuclear law at LLM Masters level at De Montfort University, Leicester

 Chemicals regulation

  • Advice on REACH and related chemicals regulation for a wide range of companies, trade associations and government clients

  • Advice on UK law, regulation and policy on chemicals regulation for major US corporations - enabling compliance with UK chemicals regulation

 Utilities regulation

  • Experience working on project work for regulators for gas and electricity, water, environment, European Commission, nuclear

 

EU PLAN TO HALVE PESTICIDE USE WITHDRAWN IN FACE OF FARMERS OPPOSITION

On 6 February 2024, in the face of strong opposition from farmers in the EU and their trade bodies such as COPA COGECA, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the abandonment of the proposed Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation, which contained the Commission’s aim to halve pesticide use. This had been an important part of the Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy and its Green Deal. 

March 13, 2024

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CHEMICALS REGULATION IN THE UK – MISSING KEY COMPONENTS

Three key components of a credible UK approach to chemicals regulation are, as at April 2024, currently missing.  

April 09, 2024

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CLIMATE LITIGATION - SWISS CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS CASE

The European Court of Human Rights ‘ECHR’ delivered a landmark ruling on 9 April 2024 in a climate case brought by 2,000 Swiss women, mostly in their 70s

April 15, 2024

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Featured
environment, Climate Change
CLIMATE LITIGATION - SWISS CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS CASE
environment, Climate Change

The European Court of Human Rights ‘ECHR’ delivered a landmark ruling on 9 April 2024 in a climate case brought by 2,000 Swiss women, mostly in their 70s


environment, Climate Change
environment
CHEMICALS REGULATION IN THE UK – MISSING KEY COMPONENTS
environment

Three key components of a credible UK approach to chemicals regulation are, as at April 2024, currently missing.  


environment
environment
EU PLAN TO HALVE PESTICIDE USE WITHDRAWN IN FACE OF FARMERS OPPOSITION
environment

On 6 February 2024, in the face of strong opposition from farmers in the EU and their trade bodies such as COPA COGECA, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the abandonment of the proposed Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products Regulation, which contained the Commission’s aim to halve pesticide use. This had been an important part of the Commission’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy and its Green Deal. 

environment
environment
WALES PROPOSES NEW LAW ON ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES, GOVERNANCE AND BIODIVERSITY TARGETS
environment

On 30 January 2024 the Welsh Government issued a White Paper setting out its proposals for new legislation for the Senedd on Environmental Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets. The consultation will run until 30 April 2024.

environment
environment
RETURN OF DEVOLVED GOVERNMENT IN NORTHERN IRELAND
environment

The re-establishment of devolved government in Northern Ireland was the subject of intense negotiations for months before conclusions were announced by the UK government and the leadership of the Democratic Unionist Party ‘DUP’, and with the publication on 31 January 2024 of the Command Paper ‘Safeguarding the Union’ (CP 1021).  

environment
environment
OFFSHORE PETROLEUM LICENSING BILL – PRINCIPLES, OR POLITICS?
environment

On 8 January 2024, the UK Parliament will be asked to vote on the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill.

This will amend the UK’s Petroleum Act 1998, and require the Oil and Gas Authority, also known as the North Sea Transition Authority, to run an annual process inviting applications for new oil and gas production licences.


environment
environment
BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN – COMPANIES NEED A WIDE ANGLE FOR FULL BENEFITS
environment

Natural England has said that –

“Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is an approach to development, land and marine management that leaves biodiversity in a measurably better state than before the development took place.”


environment
environment
UNLIMITED FINANCIAL PENALTIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CASES
environment

On 11 December 2023, the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Steve Barclay announced changes to the Variable Monetary Penalties that the Environment Agency can impose. This means that companies in breach of Environmental Permits in key areas could be subject to unlimited financial penalties, replacing the earlier cap of £250,000.

environment
environment
YORKSHIRE FISHERMEN WIN WATER QUALITY LEGAL CHALLENGE
environment

The specialist not-for profit Fish Legal and the Pickering Fishery Association won a notable victory in the High Court on 20 November 2023, that could be significant for the health of many other UK rivers.

environment

☎ CONTACT WILLIAM WILSON

Email: info@wyesideconsulting.com
Telephone: +44 (0)1225 730 407