By Zhang Qiulei, from China Environment News, Beijing The two-day 2013 National Meeting for EPB Directors closed in Beijing on Aug. 16. The meeting studied the new decisions, arrangements and requirements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on environmental work, summarized the work for the first half of 2013 and made arrangements for the next half year. Participants also listened to comments of EPBs from all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) on the educational practice of MEP, achieved the purpose of unifying thought, deepening understanding, enhancing synergy and furthering the work. MEP Minister Zhou Shengxian stressed that national environmental system should use vision, boldness and resilience to persistently explore a new path to environmental protection for better environmental quality, advancing ecological civilization and improving people's well being.

Zhou said the important speeches made by central leaders such as General Secretary Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli manifested the strong will and resolution of the Party and the country on protecting the environment, which is very useful for directing our work for the present and in the future. The national environmental system should study the speeches carefully, unify thoughts and grasp the essence and requirements on the activity. First, we must recognize the significance of building ecological civilization and protecting the environment. Central leaders pointed out that we should bear in mind the urgency and difficulty of protecting the environment and treating pollution, realize the importance and necessity of strengthening the building of ecological civilization and work resolutely on pollution control and environmental protection with great sense of responsibility for the people and our future generations. This requires us to be both calm and rational, brave and aggressive to overcome difficulties and work persistently in order to achieve results one after another, improve environmental quality and demonstrate the resolution of the Party and the government and get people's hope up for solving environmental problems. Second, we will acquire deep understanding on the overall arrangement of building ecological civilization. As noted by the leaders, we must foster the concept of ecological civilization that shows respect for nature, accommodates to nature and protects nature, adopt ecological concepts, improve ecological systems, safeguard ecological safety, optimize environment and create a green geological pattern, industrial structure, way of production and lifestyle. Since environmental protection is the main platform for building ecological civilization, we must be brave to work as the leader, promoter and enforcer of building ecological civilization, set up full-fledged ecological systems, ensure reliable ecological safety pattern and build a sound environment. Third, we will have clearer objectives and direction on the exploration of a new path to environmental protection. Central leaders have stressed that environmental problems in nature are problems connected with economic structure, way of production and lifestyle. To solve environmental problems fundamentally needs to start from macro strategies, involving the whole process of production, circulation, distribution and consumption and needs to formulate and improve environmental economic policies, an effort to explore a new path to environmental protection. Thus we must give full play to the role of environmental protection to optimize economic development and to push for economic restructuring and transformation of economic development pattern. We must combine economic restructuring, the stimulus of innovation and environmental protection, tighten environmental policies and accelerate the strategic transformation of environmental management. Fourth, we should properly handle the relationship between environmental protection and economic development. Central leaders stated that to protect the environment is to protect productivity and to improve the environment is to develop productivity. We must adhere to the principle of giving priority to environmental protection and strive for environmental protection in the process of economic development and seek economic development in the course of environmental protection. Accordingly, we must respect the law of nature, do what we can to protect the sound ecosystem, rehabilitate the strained ecosystem and promote balanced development of economy, society, population and resources. Fifth, we should combine the work method of focusing on highlights and providing guidance region by region. According to the instruction of central leadership, environmental problems doing harm to people's health should be the priority of our work. We should rely on precautionary measures and apply integrated approach to strengthen prevention and control of water, air and soil pollution, advance water pollution control in key river basins and regions and air pollution control in key sectors and regions. To serve the purpose, we must take tailored measures based on China's national conditions and provide different guidance by regions and prepared differentiated environmental policies. Regions with favorable conditions are encouraged to take more proactive and stringent measures. Sixth, we will waste no time in improving the institutions on building ecological civilization. It has been stressed that only the strictest systems and rule of law can provide reliable assurance for building ecological civilization. Environmental performance will be emphasized in the evaluation of government officials and leadership. To achieve this, we must speed up the establishment of economic and social development assessment system and create a work pattern for all social members to participate in environmental work. We will stick to the mass line, popularize environmental knowledge and build clean channels for public participation.

While reviewing the work of the first half year, Zhou noted that the environmental system had thoroughly implemented the gist of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, staying realistic and pragmatic and forging ahead with creativity. Positive progress has been made in various fields. First, under the instruction of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, MEP has worked with NDRC, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and National Energy Administration to prepare Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution. The Plan will be issued in the form of State Council Circular and will provide strong support for policies and measures on air pollution control. Second, new progress has been made in the study and publicity of building ecological civilization. In line with the requirements of the central government and the reality of environmental work, we have broken down 16 tasks on building ecological civilization and positive progress was seen in the research of three major projects including strengthening the building of ecological civilization, China's water safety strategy and environmental protection and pollution control. Third, pollution reduction has been carried out steadily. Strong measures were taken on pollution reduction of six kinds of plants and vehicle pollution management (including sewage treatment plants, paper mills, livestock and poultry farms, thermal power plants, steel mills, cement plants and motor vehicles). We have provided guidance for local and central enterprises to prepare 2013 plan for pollution reduction, stressing reduction of pollution from agricultural sources and steadily pressed ahead with paid use of pollution discharge permits and pilot program of permit trading. In the first half of 2013, China's COD discharge totaled 11.993 million tons, down 2.37% compared with the same period of the previous year. Discharge of NH3, SO₂ and NOx stood at 1.259 million tons, 10.569 million tons and 11.675 million tons, a reduction of 2.15%, 2.48% and 3.02% respectively. Fourth, we have further enlarged the role of environmental protection to optimize economic development. We have prepared environmental function zoning and improved management of EIA. EIA for plans in such key areas as hydropower, mining and navigation was carried out in steady steps. EIA approval on construction projects was processed strictly. 14 projects with a total investment of 64 billion yuan that failed to meet the requirements were rejected or suspended. Reform was made on EIA approval, which led to openness of three procedures, acceptance of EIA documents, examination and approval and environmental check & acceptance of finished projects. We have improved environmental standard system, issuing 88 national standards on environmental protection and executing special emission limit on six sectors and coal-firing boiler projects in key control areas including thermal power, iron & steel, petrochemical, cement, non-ferrous metal and chemical sectors. Fifth, effort was made in intensifying integrated control of environmental problems concerning people's livelihood. Focusing on drinking water safety and prevention and control of ground water pollution, we conducted environmental assessment of concentrated drinking water sources of cities below prefecture level and released Work Plan for Prevention and Control of Ground Water Pollution of North China Plain. We have developed and implemented the Stage II Monitoring Scheme for New Standard on Air Quality and started building of automatic regional air quality monitoring stations and regional air quality warning centers for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta. We continued with the special campaign to rectify illegal polluters and safeguard public health, organized special law enforcement inspection of river-type concentrated drinking water source areas and inspection of ground water pollution in North China. Major environmental accidents were properly addressed and effectively handled. Sixth, we have deepened pollution control in key areas. In the first half of 2013, the proportion of surface water section under national monitoring program with water quality above Grade III water quality standard increased by 3.4 percentage points year on year while the proportion of water sections with water quality inferior to Grade V water quality standard dropped by 1.9 percentage points. We continued to pilot protection of lakes with sound ecosystems and urged local departments to carry out pollution control of oil depots, gas stations and oil tanks. Seventh, effort was made on strengthening ecological conservation and protection of rural environment. We implemented biodiversity conservation strategy and action plan, established 21 national nature reserves and issued Opinions on Strengthening Environmental Protection of Key National Eco Function Zones and Indicators for Pilot Areas and Demonstration Areas of Building Ecological Civilization. We have stepped up contiguous treatment of rural environment and pushed ahead with target-driven pollution control. Eighth, environmental legislation progressed steadily. The draft amendment to the Environmental Protection Law has gone through the second review. The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate jointly issued Interpretations on Several Problems Concerning the Applicable Laws for Handling Environmental Pollution Criminal Cases, which served as a powerful weapon to combat environmental pollution crimes. Ninth, nuclear and radiation environment was stably under control. Emergency response to the radiation accident caused by Ya'an earthquake of Sichuan Province was handled smoothly, 19 nuclear power units and 19 research reactors in operation across the country were in sound condition and 28 nuclear power units under construction were kept in control. Tenth, we have strengthened the building of work style and a clean government. We formulated measures on implementing the eight requirements of the central government, enforced responsibility system on strengthening work style and building a clean government and advanced institutional development on monitoring power operation. Notable progress was made in publicity and education, international cooperation and cultivation of cadres.

Zhou stated that in spite of the achievements made in the first half year, we must keep a sober mind on the problems and conflicts, recognizing the severe environmental situation facing us, the long-term, complicated and hard job of pollution control and the importance, necessity and urgency of strategic transformation of environmental management. To ensure all the tasks will be completed by the end of the year, we must pay attention to the following aspects in the next few months. First, we will thoroughly implement the gist of important speeches of central leaders. We must study and enforce the essence of the speeches and take it as the major part of carrying out the educational practice on the Party's mass line. This will be the concrete manifestation of EPA's acceptance of the test of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and the masses. We will organize study and discussions in various forms, write articles on learning experience and disseminate good experiences and practice, stirring the enthusiasm about study and discussion across the environmental system. Second, we must go all out to push for three key tasks. We will see to that the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution is well implemented and delegate related supporting measures to other departments. We will sign letters with governments of all provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and state-owned enterprise on the target responsibility system for air pollution control and make rules for assessment. We will establish a coordinate mechanism among Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Province and surrounding provinces on air pollution control, accelerate system building for monitoring, early-warning and emergency response on heavily polluted weather and finish the monitoring task of stage II monitoring by the new standard on air quality. We will promote the overall requirements, objectives and policy measures of the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution and establish the rule on working together for fresh air. We will speed up the preparation of clean water action plan and action plan for rural environmental protection, study and revise environmental quality standard on ground water and release the investigation results on soil pollution.  Third, we will make active effort to do a good job in four tasks. We will enrich and improve the theoretical system of environmental protection by actively exploring a new path to environmental protection; form a comprehensive legal framework by revising the Environmental Protection Law; further adjusting the functions of environmental departments and the organization by taking the opportunity of boosting ecological civilization and better environmental quality by completing the main task of energy conservation and emission reduction. Fourth, we will strengthen supervision of environmental law enforcement and emergency response management. We will study and formulate opinions on strengthening environmental supervision, put more emphasis on the building of environmental supervision team and related management and standardize the law enforcement procedures and practice. We will enhance regular supervision and law enforcement examination, stressing whole-process supervision of construction projects and bringing environmental offenders to justice. Special campaign on rectifying illegal pollution discharge and safeguarding public health will continue with focus on most reported environmental infringements such as air pollution and contamination of groundwater by wastewater. We will disclose information on pollution sources, expose malicious pollution discharges and typical illegal environmental cases and encourage public report on environmental offences.     In line with the guidance of putting safety and quality in the first place, we will work hard with rigor to ensure good performance in nuclear and radiation safety supervision. We will provide guidance to environmental safety in flood season and emergency response to heavily polluted weather and properly handle various environmental accidents. Fifth, we will deepen educational practice of the Party’s mass line. Centering on the requirement of finding out problems and rectifying behaviors, we will combat formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and indulgency, seriously implement the gist of the movement, master the method of starting from leaders and pay attention to institutional development in order to strengthen education on the mass viewpoint of Marxism and the Party’s mass line. We will scour problems and find out exact ones without any evasion and cover-up. We will conduct correction and inspection at the same time and try to solve problems as soon as possible so as to achieve solid results of rectification. By carrying out the educational practice, we will deepen our understanding, improve work style and get refreshed, being more capable to solve prominent environmental problems harming public health and improve institutions and the enduring-effect mechanism.

Ministerial leaders attending the meeting included MEP Vice Ministers Pan Yue, Wu Xiaoqing, Zhou Jian, Li Ganjie and Zhai Qing, Zhou Ying, head of Discipline Inspection Group, He Jie, member of the ministerial leading party members’ group, Chief Engineer Wan Bentai and Chief Engineer on Nuclear Safety Liu Hua.

Other participants included chiefs from EPBs of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, cities separately listed on the state plan, sub-provincial cities, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Environmental Protection Bureau of PLA and Administration of Liaohe River Protected Area as well as heads of all MEP departments, branches and affiliates.