China Boosts Pollution Oversight

By J.R. WU
BEIJING -- China said it will strengthen the ways it assesses the environmental impact of new projects, adding a continuing review to ensure they are on track or get revised if needed to comply with rules on limiting pollution.
The State Council regulations, issued on the Web site of the central government over the weekend, gave information on changes that effect Oct. 1. From that date, environmental evaluations are required to be carried out before and after a project gets approved.
In 2002, China put out rules governing environmental evaluations, but those weren't clear enough or strong enough, the state-run Xinhua news agency said over the weekend, citing an unnamed official in the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council.
The new rules require environmental impact assessments after a project is first approved. They also stipulate that if a major negative impact on the environment occurs while a project is being carried out, measures to deal with it must be immediately reported to authorities and, if need be, the project has to be revised.
Before a project is approved, the new rules ask for more details and analysis in the evaluation process, including a project's short- and long-term impact on the economy, society and the environment. They also include requirements on taking measures to prevent or mitigate any negative impact on the environment.
The rules say that environmental evaluation of city-level projects will be conducted by local environmental authorities, while provincial projects must by evaluated by environmental authorities under the State Council.
Write to J.R. Wu at jr.wu@dowjones.com