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On September 5, 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) issued the draft Notice on Improving Management of Emissions Permit and Registration of Stationary Pollution Sources [1], as well as two template documents (pollutant emissions registration form [2] and notice of application receipt [3]), to solicit public opinions. The consultation is set to end on September 20.
The Notice is devised in line with relevant regulations, such as the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Publishing the Program for Implementing the Pollutant Emissions Permit System to Tighten Emissions Control, with a view to subjecting all stationary pollution sources to the emissions permit system. Containing a total of 13 articles, the Notice provides rules concerning the scope of entities which should register their pollutant emissions information, deadlines and validity periods of pollutant emissions registration, information modification of relevant entities, etc.
Broad Application Scope and Tight Schedule
It is specified that for entities which produce and emit a small quantity of pollutants and do not need to apply for pollutant emissions permits, they should get registered and the scope of registration management is determined based on the Catalogue of Classification Administration on Emissions Permits for Stationary Pollution Sources. The 2019 version of the Catalogue is about to be released soon, according to the MEE head Li Ganjie at a meeting held previously [4].
To be more specific, for industries which should complete issuance of pollutant emissions permits before the end of 2017 or the end of 2018, as prescribed in the Catalogue, relevant entities should complete their registration before the end of 2019; for industries which are required to complete issuance of pollutant emissions permits before the end of 2019 or the end of 2020, relevant entities should complete their registration before the two deadlines, respectively; and for entities which are put into production or operation after the deadlines, they should complete their registration before their facilities are put into use or their actual pollutant emissions begin.
Management of Registration Information
In proceeding with their registration, the entities described above should submit pollutant emissions information registration forms on the national information platform for pollutant emission permit management. The forms should include emitters’ basic information such as their name, registered address, primary persons in charge, contacts and credit rating code, as well as emissions-related information like major pollutants, emission standards and pollution control measures. Moreover, emitters which were involved in the second national census of pollution sources can directly modify and confirm relevant information on the platform so as to complete their registration.
After the completion of registration procedures, emitters’ basic information and emissions-related information will be made public on the platform, in a bid to put such entities under public supervision. Registration information which should be kept confidential according to national regulations will not be disclosed. Meanwhile, where any change occurs to entities’ registration information, they should modify such information within a given time limit.
Such pollutant emissions registrations will be valid for three years from the date of registration number issuance, and entities should apply for renewal of their registrations within 20 days before expiry.
Regulatory Responsibilities of Environmental Regulators
Environmental authorities at municipalities which are divided into districts should be responsible for administering emissions registration of stationary pollution sources located within their respective jurisdiction and collecting and analyzing relevant registration statistics on an annual basis.
County-level environmental authorities will be responsible for organizing and implementing relevant initiatives, notifying emitters of relevant requirements and responsibilities and prompting them to complete their registrations on time. They should also conduct oversight in this regard through the random selection of both inspectors and inspection targets and involve the work in their annual program for environmental law enforcement.
