Materials for State Council Policies Briefing

Major Progress on Environmental Protection in 2014

(February 13^th  2015)

Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)

Taking reform and innovation as the driving force, and orienting towards solving outstanding problems, environmental protection departments have successfully completed various tasks in 2014 with concerted efforts to enforce the decisions and plans of CPC Central Committee and the State Council.

I. Air, water and soil pollution prevention and control took new steps forward

(I) Thoroughly implementing the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution.

            i.            Clarifying performance assessment requirements. The General Office of the State Council issued Assessment Measures for Implementing Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution (Trial), with a view to establishing an assessment system centering on environment quality improvements, and stringently implementing the accountability system for pollution control on local government. MEP and NDRC jointly issued implementing rules for the assessment, specifying detailed tasks and goals. Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities developed implementation programs and annual plans to break down key tasks. The performance of different localities in 2014 will be evaluated in March this year.

          ii.            Introducing supporting policies and measures. 19 economic incentive measures and 20 emission standards for coal-fired boilers, tin, antimony, mercury and other pollutants have been introduced and developed (amended) jointly with relevant departments. The General Office of the State Council issued Guiding Opinion on the Pilot Work for Compensated Use and Trading of Emission Rights. 11 provinces and cities including Jiangsu and Zhejiang have carried out emission trading pilots. MEP, jointly with NDRC and MOF announced adjustments to the pollutant discharge fee standard and implement differentiated charge policy (i.e. doubling the charge for exceeding the standard and total amount while halving the charge for the emission with its concentration 50% lower than the standard), so as to give full play to the role of economic constraints and incentives. 17 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities nationwide have raised the pollution charge standard, with Beijing and Tianjin increasing by about 10-fold; Jiangsu implemented the dust pollution charge pilot; Hebei established ladder-type fiscal reward system for pollution control; Shandong developed air quality ecological compensation policy; Anhui implemented the “substituting subsidies with rewards” policy for straw burning and comprehensive utilization, which all provided strong support for air pollution control.

        iii.            Advancing regional cooperation. Air quality assurance tasks for Beijing APEC Summit and Nanjing Youth Olympic Games have been smoothly fulfilled. Especially during APEC Summit, Beijing’s air quality maintained “excellent” for 4 days and “good” for 7 days, with mean pollutant concentration registering the minimum level among the same period of the past 5 years, which was claimed as “APEC Blue” and gained full recognition from General Secretary Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, cross-regional and cross-sectoral cooperation and public engagement were actively advanced, new joint mechanism for governments, enterprises, the public, markets and sectors working together was explored, and the “localization and gridding” management system in Lanzhou was promoted. 

        iv.            Improving monitoring and early warning system. 1436 sites in 338 cities at prefecture level and above are all equipped with new air quality standard monitoring capacity, which is a goal completed one year ahead of schedule. Supervision and inspection on data accuracy were enhanced through such means as cross check and flight check. MEP and CMA jointly established the consultation and emergency linkage mechanism for heavy pollution weather in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the surrounding areas, basically building up regional air quality forecasting and warning centers covering Beijing-Tianjin- Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions, and realizing 48-hour air quality forecast and the following 3-day forecasting analysis. More than two thirds of provinces and prefecture-level cities nationwide have developed heavy pollution weather emergency plans, timely taken reduction measures based on warning levels, and launched 170 emergency responses, effectively mitigating heavy pollution weather impacts.

          v.            Strengthening supervision on atmospheric environmental enforcement. Special inspections on air pollution control were organized per month, and “three Nos and three Directs” policy (i.e. no definite time, no announcement and no reporting; direct arrival, direct inspection and direct disclosure) was implemented to strengthen supervision by means of cross enforcement, linkage enforcement and regional enforcement, with inspection results timely reported to local governments and disclosed to the public, constantly maintaining high-pressured environmental enforcement. Through applying such high-tech means as satellite remote sensing and UAV aerial photography, MEP has identified key locations in more than 20 cities of 7 provinces and autonomous regions including Hebei, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia through satellite images, and collected real-time photo and video evidences of air polluting enterprises through UAV aerial photography, effectively urging local governments and relevant units to fulfill environmental responsibility.

       vi.             Intensifying pollution control in key sectors. Air pollution control schemes with a time limit for key sectors in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions were introduced, to vigorously boost pollution control in electricity, steel, cement, plate glass and other key sectors through sector-specific measures and guidance. MEP, in cooperation with MOFCOM and other six ministries and commissions, carried out special rectifications on auto gasoline and diesel, launched comprehensive VOCs treatment scheme for petrochemical industry, and put forward treatment requirements with a time limit. Environmental quantitative index in 2014 Government Work Report was over fulfilled. 

      vii.            Enhancing foundation. A special fund of RMB 10.44 billion from the central government was allocated to support air pollution control nationwide. MEP has implemented Clean Air Research Program and issued 8 Technical Guides for Preparing Source Emissions Inventory. Results of atmospheric particles source apportionment study in Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang have been made available to the public, and the research results of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have passed the argumentation.

Through joint efforts, the annual average PM_2.5 concentration among the first batch of 74 cities implementing the new air quality standard in 2014 registered 64μg/m3, with a YoY decrease of 11.1%, among which, that in Beijing-Tianjin- Hebei, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions was 93μg/m3, 60μg/m3 and 42μg/m3 respectively, with a YoY decrease of 12.3%,10.4% and 10.6%.

Changes in PM_2.5 Concentration of Three Key Regions in 2014

(II) Vigorously advancing water pollution control. MEP, jointly with other ministries, has developed the Action Plan on Water Pollution Prevention and Control, which is under review and approval. Assessments on implementation of water pollution control plans in key basins were carried out, the responsible persons of local governments failing to pass the assessment were interviewed, and limited approval of regional EIAs was implemented. 2013-2020 Overall Planning for Eco-Environment Protection of Lakes with Good Water Quality was jointly issued by MEP and other relevant ministries, and the central government allocated RMB 5.5 billion to support protection of 64 lakes with good water quality.

(III) Constantly strengthening soil pollution control. The Action Plan on Soil Pollution Prevention and Control is nearing completion. MEP and MLR jointly released National Soil Pollution Survey Bulletin. A series of technical guidelines on environmental investigation, monitoring, evaluation and remediation of contaminated sites were issued. The central government allocated RMB 5.5 billion to support contiguous rural environmental remediation, and it has accumulatively input RMB 21 billion to support 52,000 villages to carry out environmental remediation since the 12FYP period, directly benefiting 90 million people.

II. The annual total major pollutants reduction task has completed smoothly

            i.            Implementing stringent reduction target responsibility assessment. Limited EIAs approval was implemented for 5 cities with prominent problems, supervision was made on 37 enterprises, and RMB 510 million of desulfurizing tariffs was deducted for coal-fired power enterprises with malfunctioning desulfurization facilities, which reached the maximum level over the years. Relevant local governments and enterprises are vigorously making rectifications.

          ii.            Actively pushing forward emission reduction constructions. By the end of late November, 2014, 9 million tons of daily urban sewage treatment capacity had been added nationwide; 190 million-KW coal-fired units implemented denitration and dust removal transformation, and desulfurization facilities of 95.76 million-KW coal-fired units implemented capacity expansion renovation; 11,000 m² steel sintering machines were installed with flue gas desulphurization facilities, and 190 million tons of new dry process cement clinker production capacity installed with denitration facilities.

        iii.            Improving emission reduction policy system. The General Office of the State Council issued 2014-2015 Action Plan for Energy Conservation & Emission Reduction and Low-carbon Development. NDRC, MEP and other relevant ministries jointly issued Green Tariff Regulatory Measures, Work Program for Energy Industry Strengthening Air Pollution Control, Action Plan for Upgrading and Transforming Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction of Coal Power and Interim Measures for the Management of Commercial Coal Quality, and introduced coal alternative requirements for coal-fired power generation projects in key areas, which laid a solid foundation for pollution reductions. It is expected that the national annual reduction task of COD, ammonia nitrogen, SO₂ and NOx in 2014 will be fulfilled comprehensively, and NOx reductions will record the best results since the 12FYP period. 

III. The role of environmental protection in optimizing economic development continues to manifest

Environmental function zoning pilots were carried out in 13 provinces, and overall urban environment planning was explored in 30 cities. SEAs EIAs on central China development strategies were completed, Pilot EIAs on urbanization and economic development transformation policy were made, and EIAs on the plannings of key areas including coal power and petrochemical were carried out in an orderly manner. MEP accumulatively responded to 237 EIA documents in 2014, with a total investment of RMB 2.15 trillion; MEP rejected, suspended the approval or returned the reports of 26 unqualified projects, with a total investment of RMB 87.2 billion. MEP accelerated the approval under the premise of compliance, and supported infrastructure, livelihood projects and major national projects. Environmental industry development was actively pushed forward, and the fourth batch of environmental services pilots were carried out. 140 national environmental standards were released, totaling 1623 effective ones.

IV. Environmental legal construction, enforcement and supervision and environmental risk management have been enhanced

            i.            Reinforcing environmental legal construction. Amendments to Environment Protection Law were actively advanced and completed, and the severity of punishment for environmental violations was increased. MEP and MPS jointly issued supporting documents regarding daily penalty, sealing up & restraining, production limit and shutdown, administrative detention, enterprises and institutions environmental information disclosure, investigation and handling of environmental emergencies, forming “combination blow” of environmental regulations. The Draft for Revising the Law on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution was submitted to NPC Standing Committee for review. Shaanxi, Shanghai and Beijing introduced Air Pollution Control Regulations respectively, applying such measures as “daily penalty” and “no ceiling”. Hunan Province developed Hunan Provincial Major Environmental Problems (Events) Accountability Measures (Trial) and Hunan Provincial Environmental Liability Regulations. Guizhou Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate and Public Security Department established eco-environmental law enforcement branches. Liaoning Province set up environmental security corps, while Hebei Province and cities and counties below all established environmental security police.

          ii.            Enhancing environmental enforcement regulation. The General Office of the State Council issued the Notice Regarding Enhancing Environmental Regulatory Enforcement, requiring “no dead angle and no dead zone” and “severe punishments for pollution”, with focus on solving such problems as unclear responsibility & liability, and local protectionism. MEP enhanced supervision, carried out comprehensive inspection on implementation of environmental regulations and policies of 25 key municipal people's governments, openly interviewed 7 leading official of local governments, and pushed to solve a batch of prominent environmental problems. 100,000 illegal enterprises were investigated, handling 2177 supervision cases and involving a fine of more than RMB 2 billion. The “three systems and four mechanisms” for administrative enforcement and criminal procedure law enforcement coordination established by MEP and MPS were continued to be strengthened. In 2014, environmental protection departments at all levels transferred 2080 alleged environmental criminal cases to public security organs, doubling the sum of the past decade.

        iii.             Implementing regulatory information disclosure. Pollution source environmental regulatory information disclosure was constantly advanced, and relevant notice and information disclosure catalogue were issued. Currently, websites of environmental protection departments in all provinces, most prefecture-level cities (83%) and some counties (districts) (29%) had set up special column for pollution source environmental regulatory information disclosure. With the establishment of media reporting system, MEP had disclosed the treatments of 226 key cases by 8 batches. Local governments enhanced disclosure, and posted the list of 374 state-controlled enterprises failing to pay a total of RMB 340 million sewage charges on local provincial portal websites for supervision of the media and the public. 

        iv.            Improving environmental emergency management and strengthening heavy metals, chemicals and hazardous wastes management. The central government allocated RMB 4.2 billion to support heavy metals pollution control in key provinces (regions). MEP launched national environmental management registration for hazardous chemicals, supporting 106 enterprises handling 70 million waste electrical and electronic products and allocating RMB 3.3 billion for subsidy. Environmental protection departments at all levels properly responded to 471 environmental emergencies, and MEP directly supervised the handling of 98 environmental emergencies, including 3 major ones.

V. Eco-environmental protection has advanced steadily

The set-up of ecological civilization demonstration areas was carried out. The “China’s Ecological Civilization Award” was created with the approval of the central leadership. Nationwide, 92 national eco-cities (counties) and 4596 eco-towns had been established. Eco-environmental protection redlining pilots had been carried out, and Technical Guide for Ecological Function Redlining had been issued. 2014-2015 China’s Action Plan for United Nations Decade on Biodiversity has been issued. With approval of the State Council, 21 National Nature Reserves had been newly established. Ongoing support had been provided for water environmental compensation of Xin’an River (Anhui and Zhejiang) and Ting River Basin (Fujian), RMB 300 million and 50 million funds respectively from the central government had been allocated.  

VI. Nuclear and radiation safety has been under control

Efforts have been made to strengthen all-weather safety regulation on operating nuclear power plants and enhance supervision on the commissioning of nuclear power plants under construction. 22 operating nuclear power units nationwide were all in safe condition, 26 nuclear power units under construction were under control, and 19 civilian research reactors were in good condition. Nuclear Safety Culture Policy Statement has been released, and nuclear safety culture publicity activities have been carried out. The Nanjing missing radioactive source accident was appropriately tackled and special inspection on radioactive source safety was launched nationwide.

In addition, with approval of the State Council, two review items including “Class-A qualification authentication of environmental facilities operating units” were removed, and three permit items including “Hazardous waste business license managed by MEP” were delegated to provincial environmental protection departments. Green credit scheme pilots were launched in Hainan and Shandong, environmental audit pilots were implemented in Lanzhou, and environmental damage appraisal and evaluation pilots were carried out in 9 places.