Law on Environmental Protection.

The purpose of the Law is to promote sustainable development in the field of environmental protection, to create and ensure an effective environmental protection system, with the following functions: 1) to conserve, protect, and improve the quality of environment; 2) to protect human health; 3) to ensure environmental protection from the impacts created by anthropogenic loads; 4) to conserve biological diversity; 5) to promote the sustainable utilization of natural resources and energy; 6) to ensure the inclusion of environmental protection requirements in the regulatory enactments, conceptions, plans and programmes regulating other sectors; 7) to ensure public participation in the observation of environmental protection principles and the implementation of environmental policies; 8) to ensure that the public has the opportunity to freely receive environmental information. The Law consists of 10 Chapters that contain 64 Sections. Chapter 1 lays down the general provisions. Chapter 2 establishes the competence of state administrative authorities and local government authorities in environmental protection and utilization of natural resources. Chapter 3 establishes the rights of the inhabitants of the Republic of Latvia to a qualitative life environment and the guarantees for such. Chapter 4 deals with the regulation of environmental quality norms. Chapter 5 deals with the regulation of the utilization of natural resources and the prevention of environmental pollution. Chapter 6 regards protection of nature. Chapter 7 concerns special ecological situations. Chapter 8 concerns environmental protection control. Chapter 9 determines liability for violations of laws on environmental protection. Chapter 10 regards international cooperation of the Republic of Latvia in environmental protection.