Regional supervision has been identified by the State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) as the way forward
in effectively curbing those involved in illegal environmental
activities.
SEPA is to quickly establish five regional environmental
protection supervision centers in the east, south, northwest,
southwest and northeast China.
According to SEPA Minister Zhou Shengxian, one of the major
tasks of SEPA this year is to improve the system of supervision for
environmental law enforcement. There required to be clearly defined
powers and responsibilities, standardized approaches to issues, a
strengthening of the supervisory powers, and that the entire
operation had to be managed in a highly efficient manner.
The authority of SEPA is demonstrated through supervising law
enforcement, Zhou said. The five centers are being set up to ensure
coordination between local environmental protection agencies and
joint initiatives in law enforcement would be established within
the year.
The centers are law enforcement supervisory bodies and will
represent SEPA. They're to be staffed by 160 people. As public
institutions they'll report directly to SEPA and are accountable to
SEPA. They don't have the authority to issue instructions on the
daily work of local environmental protection agencies.
With SEPA's authority the supervision centers have eight main
duties:
1) Supervise local governments in implementing state
environmental protection-related policies, rules and
standards;
2) Hold investigations into cases of serious pollution and
ecological damage;
3) Settle environmental disputes in trans-provincial area and river
drainage;
4) Supervise the response/handling of unexpected environmental
incidents;
5) Undertake or participate in the checking of environmental law
enforcement;
6) Exercise supervision over the design, construction and operation
of environmental protection facilities in state-approved
construction projects;
7) Supervise environmental law enforcement in state-level nature
reserves and key ecological protection areas; and
8) Manage visits and complaints relating to trans-provincial
pollution and ecological damage
According to the 11th Five-Year Plan for Strengthening the
State Environmental Protection Supervision Power (2006-2010), it'll
take SEPA five years to establish a nationwide environmental
quality supervisory network, improve the law enforcement system and
enhance environmental facilities.
(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, July 25, 2006)