Chinese Government, Companies Ordered To Release Pollution Figures

China's State Environment Protection Administration will enact a new measure from May 1, 2008, asking China's environmental departments and polluters to publish information regarding environmental degradation and pollution.

Under the draft measure, environmental departments at all levels throughout China are required to make public 17 categories of environmental information including laws, regulations, policies and standards regarding environmental protection. The measure, which does not become effective until May 1, 2008, is aimed to boost official transparency by ordering government departments to be more open in reporting information.

Companies or factories exceeding pollution levels and whose facilities are not up to environmental standards will have to report this information.

The draft measure asks governments to release environmental information within twenty working days and in a way that ensures the majority of the public have access to it, and they must reply to any request for information from a member of public within 15 days. Polluting companies are asked to publish information concerning the discharge of main pollutants in local media within 30 days after local environmental departments draw up company blacklists.

The number of pollution-related lawsuits is rising by about 30% every year and the environment is one of the main factors triggering social conflicts. Pan Yue, vice director of the SEPA, told local media that China's current environmental regulations lack transparency, which prevents the public from participating in environmental protection.

Since February last year, SEPA has stopped 43 projects with a total investment of RMB160 billion because the public was dissatisfied with the impact of the projects on the local environment.