What's Happened To Civil Sanctions?

The Environment Agency was supposed to have gained the power to use civil sanctions for environmental permitting offences this month but in February this year, Defra withdrew these powers, announcing at the same time that the Government wanted to agree a cross-government position on civil sanctions more generally before they were rolled out any further.
Amendments to the civil sanctions regime are due to be made later this year; the Agency still has the power to issue civil sanctions for some offences – such as packaging waste offences and fly-tipping – but the Government's track record in environmental regulation so far suggests that any amendments could be radical. Indeed, there are rumours that civil sanctions could be scrapped altogether. The Government's waste policy review is due to be published next month.