Part 6: Environmental outcomes reports Safeguards, devolution and exemptions Section 159: Exemptions for national defence and civil emergency etc Effect
Subsection (1) enables the Secretary of State to direct that an Environmental Outcomes Report is not required where a proposed relevant consent relates solely to national defence or preventing or responding to civil emergency.
	Subsection (2) provides a power for EOR regulations to set out other instances when the Secretary of State is able to direct that an Environmental Outcomes Report is not required.
	Subsection (3) provides that, where a direction for an exemption has been made, that direction may require that certain provisions of the regulations apply even where a full Environmental Outcomes Report is not required.
	Subsection (4) enables the Secretary of State to modify or revoke a direction under this section. This provides a mechanism to deal with emergency situations but would then allow for revocation of the direction when it is no longer required or its modification were the relevant circumstances to change.