China News Service, February 5th. Liu Zhiquan, Director of the Department of Environmental Impact Assessment and Emission Management of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced on the 5th that on January 24, 2021, Premier Li Keqiang signed the State Council Order No. 736, promulgating the "Regulations on the Administration of Pollution Permits." (Hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"), effective from March 1, 2021.

The "Regulations" stipulate that pollutant discharge units shall discharge pollutants in accordance with the permit, and the pollutant discharge behavior must be consistent with the pollutant discharge permit.

  On the 5th, the State Council Information Office held a regular briefing on the State Council’s policies, inviting relevant officials from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Ministry of Justice to introduce the comprehensive implementation of the pollution discharge permit system to serve the improvement of ecological environment quality and answer reporters’ questions.

Liu Zhiquan gave a brief introduction on the promulgation of the "Regulations" at the meeting.

  Liu Zhiquan pointed out that the Party Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the management of pollutant discharge permits.

The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Upholding and Improving the Socialist System with Chinese Characteristics to Promote the Modernization of the National Governance System and Governance Capability” reviewed and approved by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China requires the establishment of a fixed pollution source supervision centered on the pollutant discharge permit system system.

The "Proposals of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Term Goals for 2035" reviewed and approved by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed that the pollutant discharge permit system should be fully implemented.

The Party Central Committee’s position as the core system for environmental management of fixed pollution sources highlights the extreme importance of this system.

  Liu Zhiquan introduced that in recent years, various regions and departments have continued to promote the reform of the pollutant discharge permit system in accordance with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and completed the phased goals set out in the "Implementation Plan for the Pollutant Discharge Permit System of the General Office of the State Council".

On the basis of summarizing reform practices in recent years, the "Regulations" draws on foreign experience, listens extensively to the opinions of relevant departments, enterprises and all sectors of society, and solidifies the reform measures that have proved effective in practice with laws and regulations. "Innovation in reform and reducing the burden on enterprises is mainly reflected in three aspects.

  One is the standard system.

Implement classified management of pollutant discharge units, and clarify the scope and management categories of pollutant discharge permit management.

Standardize the procedures for applying for and approving pollutant discharge permits, clarify the approval department, application method, material requirements, approval period, as well as the conditions for the issuance of pollutant permits and the specific content of the pollutant permits.

  The second is to strengthen supervision.

It is stipulated that the pollutant discharging unit shall discharge pollutant according to the certificate, and the pollutant discharge behavior must be consistent with the pollutant discharge permit. The pollutant discharging unit is required to conduct self-monitoring, truthfully record the operation of main production facilities and pollution prevention facilities, and truthfully submit implementation reports and disclose discharge information.

It is required that the competent department of ecological environment shall supervise according to the license and include the inspection of the law enforcement of pollution discharge permit into the annual plan of law enforcement of the ecological environment.

  The third is to strengthen responsibility.

For illegal acts such as discharging pollutants without obtaining a pollutant discharge permit, there are continuous penalties on a daily basis, and penalties such as production restriction and shutdown are ordered.

Those who evade supervision of illegal pollutant discharge shall be detained in accordance with the law or investigated for criminal responsibility.

  Liu Zhiquan stated that the implementation of the "Regulations on the Administration of Pollution Discharge Permits" is an important part of promoting the modernization of the environmental governance system and governance capabilities, and is a powerful measure to implement the main responsibilities of enterprises and institutions for pollution control, to implement precise, scientific, and legal pollution control At the same time, it is also conducive to promoting the formation of a fair and standardized environmental law enforcement order.