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According to the reform plan of the Chinese governmental branches under the State Council, China has disbanded the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) and established a new ministry- The Ministry of Ecology and Environmental (MEE). The detailed plan was not released until recently which specifies the responsibilities, subordinate branches and MEE staff (三定方案).
The MEE takes over all responsibilities previously designated to the former MEP and will also undertake responsibilities such as national environmental and ecological inspection, marine ecological environment regulation and climate change responses, etc.
This article will firstly review the developmental history of MEE and then give a detailed interpretation of the responsibilities/structure/authorized staff of MEE, and finally how these changes affect chemcial enterprises.
A Brief Chronology: The Development of China's Environmental Protection Ministry
The predecessor of MEP was firstly established in 1988 as the "Environmental Protection Bureau" at vice-ministry level. 10 years later, the bureau was promoted to ministry-level and named the “State Administration of Environmental Protection”. A decade after this, the Ministry was again upgraded to become the more familiar “Ministry of Environmental Protection” . In March 2018, China's government embarked on a major campaign of instiutional reform in which the MEP was replaced by MEE. In August 2018, MEE released a plan that formally defines its responsibilities, subordinate branches, and its authorized staff.
Responsibilities
One significant change is that MEE is not only responsible for regulation of the environment but now also oversees ecological protection. This is shown in the name of MEE- Ministry of Ecological and Environment. MEE has the following responsibilities:
Set “central ecological and environmental inspection” as a new routine supervising system.
Set up an ecological and environmental system, responsible for environmental regulations, such as pollution prevention and oversee administration of air, water, and soil, imported solid waste control, etc.
The main body of responsibility for pollution prevention and control transferred from MEE to enterprises while MEM will take the role of supervisor and manager. This means that enterprises shall take the main responsibility for pollution prevention and control.
Prevent and control agricultural pollution.
Set up a prevention and control coordination mechanism for air pollution.
Take a leading role in nuclear safety work.
Develop monitoring standards and designate ecological & environmental monitoring sites. The scope of monitoring has expanded and now includes ecological environment quality monitoring, pollution source supervision monitoring, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and emergency monitoring.
MEP used to participate in climate change responses. But now MEE have to be responsible for that.
Expansion in Jurisdiction and Administrative scope: Subordinate Branches of MEE
MEE has an expanded administrative scope compared to the MEP. The MEE integrates the following responsibilities previously designated to other Ministries/Departments:
Climate changes response and emission reduction from the National Development and Reform Commission
Soil pollution prevention from the Ministry of Land and Resources
Pollutant emission outlets from the Ministry Of Water Resources
Agricultural pollution from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Marine environment protection from the State Oceanic Administration
Environmental protection for the region of the south-to-north water diversion from the South-To-North Water Diversion Project Construction Committee
There are 21 subordinate branches to MEE (see in chart 1 below). Compared to MEP, 7 branches are newly established or renamed, including Central Office of Environmental and Ecological Supervision, Department of Solid Waste And Chemicals, Department of Environmental Impact Assessment And Emission Management, Department of Marine Ecology and Environment, Department of Ecological Environment Monitoring, and Bureau of Ecological and Environmental Enforcement.
Ministry of Environment and Ecology | ||
English Name of The Branches | The Chinese name of the branches | Responsibility |
General Office | 办公厅 |
|
Central Office of Environmental and Ecological Supervision | 中央生态环境保护督查办公室 | This department is responsible for planning and conducting environmental supervision. |
Department of General Affairs | 综合司 |
|
Department of Regulations And Standards | 法规与标准司 | |
Department of Human Resource | 行政体制与人事司 | |
Department of Technology And Finance | 科技与财务司 | |
Department of Nature And Ecology Protection | 自然生态保护司 | |
Department of Water Ecology and Environment | 水生态环境司 | |
Department of Marine Ecology and Environment | 海洋生态环境司 | |
Department of Atmospheric Environment | 大气环境司 | |
Department of Climate Change | 应对气候变化司 | |
Department of Soil Ecology | 土壤生态环境司 | |
Department of Solid Waste And Chemicals | 固体废物与化学品司 | This department is responsible for the management on solid waste, chemicals, and heavy metals, including the management or import permission of hazardous waste, registration of toxic chemicals import/export, and registration of new chemicals, etc. |
Department of Nuclear Facilities | 核设施安全监管司 |
|
Department of Radiation Safety | 核辐射安全监管司 | |
Department of Nuclear Safety | 核电安全监管司 | |
Department of Ecological Environment Monitoring | 生态环境监测司 | This department is responsible for ecological and environmental monitoring. |
Department of Environmental Impact Assessment And Emission Management | 环境影响评价与排放管理司 | This department is responsible for environmental impact assessment, and pollutant emission permit. |
Bureau of Ecological and Environmental Enforcement | 生态环境执法局 | This department supervises of implementation of environmental policies and standards, etc. |
Department of Information Dissemmination and Education | 宣传教育司 |
|
Department of International Cooperation | 国际合作司 | |
Enlarged Authorized Staff
Overall the authorized staff of MEE saw a significant enlargement, staff number increased by 167 from 311 (for MEP) to current 478. Please see the table below for details.
MEP | MEE | |
Authorized staff | 311 | 478 |
minister | 1 | 1 |
Vice-minister | 4 | 4 |
Leaders at the departmental level | 48 | 78 |
How will it affect the chemical industry?
Enhanced Central Environmental Supervision
One significant change to the subordinate branches of MEE is the newly established branch called “Central Office of Environmental and Ecological Supervision”. This office will be responsible for drafting, organization, and implementation of regulations on environmental protection inspection.
In addition, there are 6 supervision bureaus in north China, east China, south China, northwest, southwest and northeast China. They will be responsible for the supervision of ecological and environmental protection in their respective regions. Under the central office are resident agencies responsible for 7 major basins in China.
In 2016, MEP led a group of ministries forming a “central environmental inspection group” to conduct a far reaching campaign of environmnetal assessment and supervision. It took two years to fully cover all of China. In the 1st round of Central Environmental Protection Supervision investigations were conducted in 31 provinces/cities/regions and successfully addressed more than 80,000 environmental problems. Now the establishment of the central office is another milestone marking the institutionalization of China’s environmental supervision mechanism.
Chemical industries must now carefully balance their environmental protection duties and company expansion. By establishing MEE China has shown its determination to address its environmental issues despite the potential for adverse impact on its economy. Enterprises are suggested to closely follow the guidelines released by MEE ensure full compliance with all regulations.
Comprehensive Chemical Regulations
MEM has set up the department of solid waste and chemicals which integrated part of the responsibilities of Department of Soil Environmental Management (a department previously under MEP and revoked in 2016). This new department should:
Administer the prevention and control of pollution by solid waste, chemicals, heavy metals and other pollutants.
Implement environmental management systems such as management/export permit for hazardous waste, import permit for solid waste, import and export registration of toxic chemicals and new chemical registration.
Before, solid waste was under the management scope of the Department of Soil Environmental Management. However, “considering the serious situation and challenges faced during the management of solid waste, especially hazardous waste, MEE has determined to separate it from the original department and create a new one with the goal of improving the efficiency of management”, according to Mr.Peng, a researcher in National Urban Environmental Pollution Control Technology Research Center. The integration of responsibilities will help cut red tapes and improve efficiency.
