Request a Demo
Recently, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) issued the 2019 Priorities in Environmental Impact Assessment and Emission Management[1], with aims to specify key tasks and requirements with regard to environmental impact assessment (EIA) and emission management and provide instructions for authorities at both central and local levels.
Consisting of six parts, the plan can be summarized with four phrases: one leadership, four priorities, three guarantees, and one annex.
One Leadership
The plan states that, under the sole leadership of the Communist Party of China, relevant authorities and agencies should consider ecological and environmental protection as a political mission and apply the spirits and principles proposed by the central leadership to EIA and emission management work.
The foundational metrics used to guide China’s environmental rectification campaign are encapsulated by “Three Lines and One List” (i.e. a red line for ecological conservation, a bottom line for environmental quality, a ceiling on resource utilization, and a negative list of environmental standards for market access). Focus will also be placed on strengthening the permit-based management of pollutant emission at fixed pollution sources, streamlining administration and delegating powers in EIA work, building up big data systems, etc.
Efforts should be made to speed up the formulation and revision of relevant legislations, including the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, the Regulations on the Administration of Pollutant Emission Permits, and the Law on Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste.
Four Priorities
Comprehensively promote the work regarding “Three Lines and One List” and formulate plans for EIA macro-regulation
In 2019, authorities at both central and local levels should take substantive measures to facilitate the nationwide application of the mechanism. In other words, regions where the “Three Lines and One List” have been in place (e.g. Qinghai Province) should publish their achievements, and the compilation work in other regions should be steadily advanced.
Meanwhile, measures should be taken to develop EIA plans and explore environmental impacts of policies in key regions and basins, and to formulate notices on further enhancing EIA management for industrial parks.
Establish a sound system for pollutant emission permit management
The approval and issuance of pollutant emission permits in key industries like phosphate fertilizer, automobile, and water treatment should be completed by the end of 2019. Local authorities of ecology and environment should launch campaigns to rectify fixed pollution sources in 24 industries where permits have been issued and deal with such pollution sources in a category-based manner.
The post-issuance management should be enhanced to rigorously crack down on pollution emissions without permits. Meanwhile, it is clearly stated that the MTT will make every effort to promote the permit-based management of fixed pollution sources and accelerate the pace of incorporating solid waste and soil into the pollutant emission management.
Consistently deepen reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, and strengthen services in carrying out EIA
The MEE has released the new tiered approval catalogue for EIA [2], and local authorities will further optimize and refine the management of the catalogue. Regions with higher capacity for EIA management are encouraged to carry out trials for the EIA reform and the reform of integrating EIA and pollutant emission management. Beijing and Shanghai, in particular, will receive support to deepen the EIA reform while improving the business environment.
Relevant authorities should develop and implement actions plans for compliance oversight in EIA and pollutant emission management, with a particular focus on regions like the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Economic Belt as well as industries which pose significant threats to the ecology and environment.
In the meantime, reviews shall be conducted following major projects in key industries like petrochemical and hydropower. Measures should be taken to expedite the formulation of supporting documents, such as administrative measures for compilation of environmental impact reports of construction projects, as well as the establishment of a national EIA credit platform. Technical reviews for EIA documents shall be consolidated to substantially enhance quality management of such documents.
Intensify EIA management for key regions, key industries, and key projects
The plan requires that the central government should publish EIA management reports for industries like electroplating, formulate guiding policies for EIA of industries like oil and gas industry in the Yangtze Economic Belt, implement prohibitive or restrictive environmental standards for market access, strictly exercise EIA of projects with environmental quality at the core, set up and dynamically adjust the national-level accounts for projects scheduled to be started in 2019, major local projects, and projects involving foreign capital, and expedite relevant approval procedures.
Local authorities of ecology and environment should establish regulations and standards such as environmental standards for market access of key industries. Moreover, stronger guidance should be provided for deeply impoverished areas in enhancing their EIA services.
Three Guarantees
Facilitate the applications of information technologies
IT applications should be boosted to enable access to services via one website and promote the sharing of information concerning EIA, pollutant emission management, filing of registration forms, etc. Based on an EIA database built for fixed pollution sources, authorities can have a thorough understanding of the macro situations and enforce the compliance regulation by practicing the Internet Plus Regulation Model.
Establish a system of technical standards for EIA and pollutant emission permits
According to the plan, a series of regulations should be formulated, including:
The General Program of Technical Guidance for Planning Environmental Impact Assessment
Technical guidance for planning environmental impact assessment in industrial parks and basins
Technical guidelines for planning follow-up assessment of environmental impacts
Technical guidance for EIA regarding ecology and noise
Lists of major changes in industries like fertilizer
Guidelines for calculating source intensity of pollution emanating from industries like automobile
Technical specifications of pollution emission for industries like furniture manufacturing
Improve Party conduct and build a clean government
With full and strict party self-governance in place, the MEE shall enhance the intensity of training for staff in local authorities, so as to provide personnel guarantee for effective EIA and pollutant emission management.
One Annex
Along with the plan, the Detailed Program for China’s Pollutant Emission Management in 2019 is released to further stipulate tasks of permit issuance for key industries and specify 18 specific assignments falling under 5 categories, including enhancing the post-issuance management and promoting the integration of environmental management regulations.
