In mid-February 2021, the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment released a notice [1], requiring administrations under its purview as well as relevant authorities to facilitate the smooth implementation of MEE Order No. 12 [2] and strengthen the regulatory practices after the issuance of registration certificates.
The notice provides that efforts should be made to educate businesses on MEE Order No. 12 and its supporting documents, so as to see that businesses assume primary responsibilities in terms of environmental and safety concerns related to new chemical substances. In particular, in light of lessons from the Xiangshui blast in 2019, relevant businesses will be urged to complete the hazardous chemical registration of new chemicals which have hazardous chemical properties and properly identify and manage any major hazard installations of hazardous chemicals.
The routine environmental management of new chemical substances will also be practiced effectively. The Bureau will still dynamically update the list and registration information of relevant businesses on the Shanghai Municipal Chemical Environmental Management Information System [3]. Any violations in the production and import of new chemical substances will be severely investigated and punished.
It should be particularly noted that for manufacturers of new chemicals for which regular registration certificates have been obtained, and businesses warehousing or processing new chemicals which are hazardous chemicals or constitute major hazard installations, they should develop contingency plans and emergency response measures, file their information with local administrations of ecology and environment and carry out emergency exercises each year.
Moreover, the on-site law enforcement and environmental supervision for new chemical substances shall be stepped up as well. In this regard, the focus will be placed on finding out whether there are any chemical substances which have not been registered.
For businesses which have registered their new chemical substances, oversight will be conducted through the random selection of both inspectors and inspection targets and the prompt release of results. In the on-site inspections, inspectors will focus on whether businesses have implemented the administrative management requirement and risk control measures specified in the registration certificates.
In addition, manufacturers, processers or importers of new chemical substances which are subject to key environmental management or are highly hazardous new chemicals will be deemed a priority in the regulatory practices.
