NPC priorities point to crackdown on polluters
The top legislature has placed environment-related legislation high on its agenda this year to offer a stronger legal basis for the country’s fight against pollution.
The annual work plan of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, which was made public at the end of last month, lists four major legislative items relating to environmental protection.
In August, the legislature will revise the Chinese Land Administration Law to ensure rational exploitation of land resources, as well as further review a draft law on the prevention and control of soil pollution, according to the plan.
The soil law was discussed among lawmakers twice last year. A draft law usually receives three reviews before being adopted by the legislature.
In December, the Solid Waste Control Law is expected to be revised, the plan shows.
The legislature is also considering a draft law on atomic energy, but it did not release the exact timetable for the law.
“The legislative efforts against pollution will make our environment-related laws more systemic and complete,” the plan says.
The NPC Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee also plans to conduct more research on clean energy this year to help the country’s northern regions avoid winter air pollution, according to the top legislature.
Environment-related legislation and enforcement inspections have received much more attention from the top legislature since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in late 2012.
In the past five years, the NPC Standing Committee adopted and revised about 20 laws and bills on environment and ecology, including the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law and similar laws on environmental protection and air pollution prevention.
As the number of such laws has been rising, the ability to punish polluters has been more powerful.
For example, the revised Environmental Protection Law, which went into effect in 2015, is the law with the strictest punishment. Polluters face fines ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 yuan ($1,576 to $15,765) a day if they do not stop emissions after being alerted, and there is no ceiling for the fine.
In addition, there have been more enforcement inspections related to such laws. For example, from June to August last year, legislators were divided into five teams for 10 regions to check how the Solid Waste Control Law had been implemented.
In March, the legislature said it would invite officials of environment-related authorities under the State Council to respond to concerns and questions from national legislators regarding the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and to conduct an inspection on how the law is implemented this year.