Recent China Environmental Law, Public Participation, and Climate News
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To IT companies in violation of heavy metal discharge standards, environmental organizations launch a new fight (Google translate)
According to a report developed by 34 environmental groups, including Friends of Nature, Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, and Daerwen, Zhejiang Narada Power Source Co., Ltd. (Narada) has an intimate relationship with Shanghang Huaqiang battery factory, which has been linked to the lead-poisoning of 121 children. Singapore telecommunication, which relies on Narada as one of its top battery suppliers, stated on July 7, “We are investigating the issue of environmental infringement claimed by the (environmental groups). If it is verified that Narada has committed environmental violations, we will reconsider business cooperation with the company.” （Source: Outlook Weekly)
Shandong will regulate marine ecological damage and loss compensation – highest compensation reaches 200 million (Google translate)
Shandong Provincial Department of Finance and the Provincial Ocean and Fishery Bureau recently jointly issued the “Interim Measures on Marine Ecological Damages and Loss Compensation,” which will regulate ecological damage compensation (including illegal marine use and accidents) along with damage claims. This is the first time in China that one single document has included both ecological damage compensation and loss compensation. (Source: China Environment News)
The truth about Hebei outdated manufacturing capacity shutdowns: most dismantled blast furnaces were abandoned (Google translate)
As the largest province of steel production, Hebei reflects the nationwide dilemma in shutting down outdated technology. For years, the shutdown targets could always be met, but the total steel yield capacity would still increase…. “We removed a small 210 cubic-meter blast furnaces that had been abandoned for a while because it was not cost-effective. It was not in use, but also not removed. Now it has been removed,” said a member of a medium-sized steel company in Hebei with an annual output of 5 million tons. This removed blast furnace was listed on the shutdown list recently issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Insiders say that these types of outdated and abandoned technologies make up a substantial portion of the shutdown list. (Source: People’s Daily Online)
Beijing starts pilot project for emission rights trading (Google translate)
Unused allowances of corporate pollutant emissions saved via energy conservation and emission reduction will be able to be traded on an emissions market, according to the news. Yesterday during an inspection of energy conservation and emission reduction, officials of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said that Beijing has launched the pilot, allowing pilot enterprises to trade emission allowances with each other. (Source: Beijing Business Today)
Shanxi Fenjiu Group identified as falling behind in pollution reduction by environmental protection authority (Google translate)
The Shanxi Environmental Protection Bureau announced that Shanxi Fenjiu Group has been identified as falling behind in pollution reduction, making very slow progress in shifting coal-fired boilers’ to natural gas. The Shanxi Environmental Protection Authority said the Group would seriously hinder Shanxi’s ability to meet the State-set 11th Five-Year Plan pollution reduction targets. (Source: Chinanews)
Guizhou moves to orange alert for industrial energy conservation and emission reduction (Google translate)
On August 19 at a Guizhou provincial conference about industrial energy conservation and emissions reduction, officials have decided to move into the orange alert phase for monitoring industrial energy usage and emissions. This move will help ensure that the annual energy and emissions targets for the 11th Five-Year plan will be fulfilled. Orange is level II of the three-level alert mechanism, and will provide the power to implement punitive actions for the next half year on 32 industries that are listed as the first group of energy consuming companies that have surpassed limits. (Source: Guizhou Daily)
Jiangsu launches “blue sky project” on joint air pollution prevention and control (Google translate)
In recent years rapid economic growth in Jiangsu Province has resulted in air pollution, and especially an acute haze problem. For example in 2009 in the city of Nanjing, the number of days with reported haze reached 211 days, accounting for 58% throughout the year. In order to address this issue, earlier this month the Jiangsu provincial government issued the “Opinions on Implementing the Blue Sky Project to Improve Air Quality”; the Blue Sky Project will reinforce air pollution control in five areas, including industrial emissions, motor vehicle exhaust, dust pollution, straw pollution, and daily household pollution. According to Yao Xiaoqing, an official in the provincial Environmental Protection Department, there will be four focuses in the project: first, key pollutants such as SO2, NOx, PM, VOC, etc.; second, key industries, including thermal power, steel, non-ferrous metal, petrochemical, building materials, chemicals, textiles, etc.; third, key enterprises, mainly the enterprises having large impact on regional air quality; fourth, key problems, namely, acid rain, haze and photochemical pollution. (Source: Science and Technology Daily)
NDRC discourages local carbon trading centers (Google translate)
On August 18 in Beijing, NDRC launched the national pilot project of low carbon provinces and low carbon cities. Xie Zhenhua, vice minister of NDRC, stated that the pilot provinces and cities should play a leading role in low-carbon development during the 12th Five-Year period…. However, NDRC specifically discouraged establishing competing local carbon trading centers. “Even in the United States and the European Union, there is only one trading center,” an NDRC official said. （Source: 21 Century Economic Report)
(Newsletter prepared by Wu Qi and Stephen Leonelli)
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