1. Regulatory context

Regulations governing facilities classified for environmental protection date back to Law no. 76-663 of July 19, 1976. This law was repealed by ordinance no. 2000-914 of September 18, 2000 (JO, September 21, 2000) and codified in article L.511-1 ff of the Environment Code.

These regulations concern "factories, workshops, depots, building sites or quarries and, in general, installations operated or owned by any natural or legal person, public or private, which may present dangers or inconveniences either for the convenience of the neighborhood, or for public health, safety or hygiene, or for agriculture, or for the protection of nature and the environment, or for the conservation of sites and monuments as well as elements of the archaeological heritage" (article L. 511-1 of the Environment Code).

Any facility operated or owned by a natural...