context: Carrying more authority than the officially unreleased 2015 environmental inspection guidelines that focused on Party and administrative discipline, this new policy is the state's latest attempt to institutionalise and routinise environmental inspections. Important highlights include creation of an environmental inspection leading small group and a formal MEE central environmental inspection office, plans to conduct inspections on a regular basis, and clarification of inspection procedures.
CCP Central Committee and State Council issued new regulations on central environmental inspections, stipulating
- a specially appointed inspection agency will be in charge of carrying out central environmental inspections of provinces, State Council departments and relevant central SOEs
- central environmental inspections will consist of regular inspections, special inspections and re-inspections
- Party Central Committee should conduct regular inspections and re-inspections, and launch special inspections on major environmental issues
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) should draft
- five-year inspection plans which will be implemented after receiving State Council approval
- annual plans which should clarify inspection work arrangements
- a central environmental inspection work leading group will be set up to coordinate and facilitate inspections, with members from CCP General Office, CCP Organisation Department, CCP Publicity Department, State Council General Office, Ministry of Justice, MEE, National Audit Office, Supreme People's Procuratorate
- central environmental inspection office will be set up within MEE, and will be responsible for the leading group's daily work
- leading group responsibilities include
- implementing CCP Central Committee and State Council decisions
- reporting progress to CCP Central Committee and State Council
- reviewing inspection rules and reports from the central environmental inspection office
- inspection office responsibilities include
- reporting progress to the leading group and implementing tasks assigned by the leading group
- drafting inspection rules, plans and implementation measures
- coordinating central environmental inspection teams
- reviewing, compiling and submitting inspection reports
- instructing provinces to carry out provincial inspections
- central environmental inspection teams will be headed by current or retired officials at provincial or ministerial level alongside MEE officials
- regular central environmental inspections will be conducted on
- provincial governments
- State Council departments tasked with key environmental protection responsibilities
- central SOEs involved in activities with significant environmental impact
- regular central environmental inspections will cover
- implementation of CCP Central Committee and State Council decisions
- implementation of national environmental regulations, policies, standards and planning
- major environmental issues and solutions
- progress in regions with deteriorating environmental quality and pollution treatment
- progress in correcting environmental issues reported by the public
- interference with inspections
- re-inspections will cover rectification progress and setting up of long-term environmental protection mechanisms
- special inspections will cover
- issues requested by CCP Central Committee and State Council
- major environmental issues in key regions and industries
- typical cases of insufficient rectification
- inspection procedure
- preparation
- inspection teams dispatched to localities
- report drafting
- inspection feedback
- transferring cases to localities for rectification
- rectification
- inspection results will be used in officials' evaluations and as key considerations for promotion or punishment
- penalties for
- inspection team members unable to perform their duties
- officials and firms that
- falsify information
- refuse to provide necessary materials
- interfere with inspections
- are uncooperative with on-site checks or evidence collection
- refuse to rectify environmental issues
- take revenge on officials or citizens that report environmental issues
- adopt 'one-size-fit-all' measures