By Jiang Yunzhang (降蕴彰)
Issue 567, April 30
News, Page 3
Translated by Tang Xiangyang
Original article: [Chinese]

The long-waited new Law of Environmental Protection might not be implemented this year because the Environment and Resources Protection Committee (EPRC) wants to water down clauses that would restrict local governments.

The original version had included a standard system to evaluate local government’s policies for environmental protection, but this was removed by ERPC, which is a regulatory body under the National People’s Congress (NPC).

Another deleted clause concerns companies that are responsible for pollution but refuse to settle within a defined period. The clause had imposed on these companies a daily fine, whose amount rose over time.

The draft law was supposed be reviewed by the NPC’s standing committee in the first half of this year, but heated debate between experts and lawmakers means that this deadline will be missed.

Clauses protecting citizen’s rights to information on the environment have also been removed from the proposed law.

The Law of Environmental Protection in its current form was implemented in 1989 and is viewed as the weakest law in China because of local governments’ fixation with economic growth ahead of the environment.  

Pollution scandals have been the focus of numerous major news stories in China over recent years. The pollution caused by Zijin Mining Group to nearby villages and lakes, the oil spill in the Bohai sea and the water pollution in Peijiang River, Sichuan Province, are just a few examples.