Examines the new regime for accessing environmental information from any public authority as brought into force on 1 January 2005 by the "Environmental Information Regulations 2004" and the "Freedom of Information Act 2000", whose rights take effect on the same date. Considers the practical significance of the new regime including the relationship between the 2000 Act and the 2004 Regulations. Outlines the rights of access to environmental information and identifies similarities and differences between access to environmental information and other categories of officially held information. Concludes that the full significance of the new regime becomes clear when it is considered in conjunction with the ever increasing range of government decisions in which environmental consequences must be taken into account and the more conventional modes of personal involvement in planning or environmental decision making.