Business will be affected by a disorderly approach to environmental law, says BusinessNZ.

The Government has just launched a public consultation on draft settings and price controls for the Emissions Trading Scheme, with a February deadline.

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said it placed additional responsibilities on the people and organisations involved in the process, just days before Christmas.

"Businesses are already responding to other draft regulatory changes that will be related to ETS settings, including climate-related financial disclosures, ETS auction rules and others.

"Meanwhile, other relevant pieces of work including the draft Resource Management Act replacement are not yet available for consideration.

"The process of working towards a better suite of environmental laws and regulations is being handled in a piecemeal and disorderly way. Many people and businesses will be impacted by this sub-optimal approach to law-making."

BusinessNZ will seek an extension to the deadline for Reforming the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme: Proposed Settings.

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