The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) recently released the “Notice on implementing the complete emission compliance plan for industrial pollution sources” (hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”), requiring the 8 industries including iron and steel, power plants, cement, coal, pulp and paper, printing and dyeing, sewage treatment and waste incineration to effectively implement the compliance plan by the end of 2017, the emission standard system and environmental oversight shall be further improved, a sound atmosphere for environmental compliance be established. By the end of 2020, all industrial sources shall meet emission targets continuously, environmental governance system be improved, and environmental compliance become a normal status.
In recent years, regions and departments intensified their efforts to promote green industrial development, and yielded positive results. However, some plants still release pollutants in violation of the standards, illegal pollutant discharge is still common, leading to subsequent ecological environment incidents and intense complaints by the public. The compliance plan aims at better environmental quality, environmental standard-driven industry upgrade and industrial structural adjustment, it will promote emission standard compliance for industrial sources and contribute to the improvement of environmental quality through the rule of law, scientific and technological support, supervision and enforcement, and policy improvement. The emission compliance plan will focus on industries with high production and pollution, set industrial emission standards, or pollution discharge permits, and achieve the all-round compliance through early actions in priority industries.
In order to implement the requirements to achieve the goals, the Notice has defined nine tasks as follows: holistic check on emission of industrial sources, enhance management on illegal emission, strengthen environmental supervision and law enforcement, curb vicious and illegal behaviors like illicit emission, improve and reinforce the operation and supervision of online monitoring system, implement joint punishment on excess emission, boost information disclosure, facilitate policy supports, and further improve emission standard systems.
The Notice has also stressed the guarantee measures to implement requirements to achieve the goals. First, strictly implement responsibilities. Provincial environmental watchdogs shall prepare attainment plans and annual implementation plans for their administrative regions respectively. People’s governments at city and county levels shall implement the system - “both CPC committees and governments are held accountable, one position double responsibilities”, and boost the implementation of attainment plans. Second, enhance the connection of systems. Local authorities shall do a good job in connection with the reform of emission permit system and make coordination in the work arrangements for the issuance of permits and implementation of attainment plans. Third, publicity and media coverage. Local regions shall orderly do a good job in publicity and guidance, cause such media as TV and radio stations, newspapers, and online media to report the illicit environmental behaviors like illegal emission, fraud on data, pollution prevention facilities under abnormal operation, and gravely excessive emission, timely disclose the results of punishment, forcefully deter illegal polluters, and create a good atmosphere of environmental compliance. Four, social engagement. Promote and implement whistleblowing, encourage the general public, environmental protection organizations, industrial associations, and environmental enterprises to take part in whistleblowing for illegal environmental behaviors. Five, strengthen supervision and assessment. Local authorities shall organize an assessment on the attainment progress for their respective administrative regions and reflect the outcomes and defects in a holistic and objective manner.
