Instead of a one off fine, government proposes daily fines for polluters who fail to heed notices
The Chinese ministry of environmental protection has published four draft ordinances relating to enforcement of environmental protection regulations, according to an official Chinese government press release.
Following the publishing of the draft ordinances, the country’s environmental protection authority invited public comments on them.
The four drafts concern fines for polluters, closure or seizure of pollution sources, production suspension punishments and environmental information disclosure, the release said.
In a statement, the ministry of environmental protection said that the new ordinances would help to increase the cost of environmental offences, with detailed stipulations on enforcement procedures, punishable offences and methods of fine calculation in accordance with China’s revised environmental law.
Under the environmental protection law revised in April by the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress, a new fine system would be introduced to punish offenders.
If an enterprise illegally discharges pollutants and fails to correct its wrongdoing after being asked to do so by authorities, it may face a fine which accumulates daily.
In the past, enterprises received a one-off fine.
The ordinances also include provisions of rules regarding evidence collection, approval, decision and enforcement of the punishment and lifting of the penalties.
The ministry said in its statement that the ordinances were drafted with consideration for the consistency of different regulations and protection of people’s legal rights.
The draft ordinances are the latest in a string of measures that China has taken in order to fight pollution, especially of air and water.
The Chinese capital city of Beijing is at the forefront of the fight against pollution. The city has so far invested more than 14.7 billion yuan (approximately US $2.4 billion) in fighting pollution and plans to invest an additional 47.8 billion yuan in the next five years for the same.
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