Available analyses of the situation in other countries, such as Russia or Poland, suggest that energy saving measures could be a more immediate and cost-effective way to reduce emissions than electricity generation from renewable resources (McKinsey, 2009). The 1991 Law on the Protection of the Environment, which represents the key legal reference in this area, sets the main environmental standards and introduces the basic instruments to achieve them. It stipulates the modalities for granting permits for the emission of pollutants into the air, waste water emissions and deposits of waste, based on standards established for emission limits by particular pollutants, and sets up respective payment schedules.