ICPE Inspection Priorities for 2024

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DIRECTIVE OF DECEMBER 15, 2023, CONCERNING THE 2024 NATIONAL ACTIONS FOR THE INSPECTION OF CLASSIFIED FACILITIES

The inspection of classified facilities is a key component of ecological planning. This planning is structured around 3 main pillars:

• Climate change mitigation;
• Climate change adaptation;
• The preservation of biodiversity and resources.

Each year, a directive from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion sets the ongoing missions and action priorities for the inspection of classified facilities for environmental protection (ICPE) for the coming year.

It is the directive of December 15, 2023, that defines the thematic priorities and guidelines for ICPE inspection visits for the year 2024.

The following key areas can be highlighted regarding the inspection priorities:

Firstly, concerning the "ongoing actions", these are identical to 2023 and include, among others, the following points:

• Enforcement missions for classified facilities: inspection visits, processing of authorization and registration requests, examination of studies submitted by the operator (hazard studies, interpretation of environmental conditions and management plans, etc.), combating illegal facilities, particularly waste management facilities, etc.
• Other enforcement missions within and outside classified facilities: control actions for hazardous equipment and products (e.g., pressure equipment), actions related to the implementation of the anti-waste law, control of hazardous pipelines, etc.
• Integration of technological and health risks into planning and development: implementation of technological risk prevention plans, management of polluted sites and soils, information for operators and stakeholders on regulations and the state of the environment, etc.

Secondly, regarding the thematic action priorities for 2024, these differ from the previous year, except concerning drought. The following points are thus addressed:

• Water conservation initiative for industrial activities: supporting 50 pilot sites (in connection with the water plan) by providing technical and regulatory assistance for project implementation, monitoring projects carried out within the territory…
• Actions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) : checks on compliance with the requirements of the order of June 20, 2023, analysis of the results of implemented measures, requirements and monitoring of operators' reduction or elimination efforts…
• Control of atmospheric emissions (focus on volatile organic compounds): on-site control of effluent channeling or capture methods, control of channeled emission limit values, and solvent management plan…

In addition to these ICPE inspection priorities, this directive also sets thematic guidelines for inspections:

• Systematic actions: accidental risk management (control of installations using ammonium nitrates, implementation of 2021-2022 regulatory changes for flammable liquids and containment following the 2019 Rouen accident), combating illegal trafficking of electrical and electronic waste.
• Optional actions by region: These actions differ from those presented for 2023, except for plastic packaging for vegetables, bans on disposable tableware, the deployment of Trackdéchets, and the RNDTS register. These will be chosen from the lists below.

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Photo credit: 609411921 @naraichal