China’s Fujian province issues regulations on ecological, environmental protection 
The congress of China’s Fujian province on March 30 issued regulations on ecological and environmental protection, which will come into effect on May 1. The new regulations are a total revision of the current environmental protection regulations of the province.
The latest regulations incorporate the central government’s “Two Carbon Targets” in the province’s environmental plans. These targets refer to China’s objectives of reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
The regulations also stipulate the establishment of an environmental credit evaluation system. Article 21 of the regulations states that environment-related illegal acts of companies are recorded on the credit information public platform of the province and are made public.
The Two Carbon Targets
The regulations include the following provisions to achieve the state’s Two Carbon Targets.
- Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality are incorporated in the province’s environmental plans; provincial schedules and roadmaps are developed; and environmental consciousness- and low-carbon-oriented transformation is promoted in key sectors, including energy and industry.
- Trading of carbon sinks, such as forest, is promoted.
Penalties for illegal acts
Under Article 64 of the regulations, penalties are imposed on a daily basis on those who fall under any of the following four categories.
- Those who discharge pollutants in excess of national or provincial pollutant discharge standards or total discharge limits for key pollutants
- Those who discharge pollutants without a pollutant discharge permit or permission or who don’t discharge pollutants in accordance with the provisions of the pollutant discharge permit
- Those who discharge pollutants using an underground pipe or a well or pit (a hermetic or semi-hermetic pit without features that prevent leakage, a pond, a reservoir, a well, a ditch, a water channel, etc.), discharge them underground using a high-pressure deep well or discharge them by other unlawful means; alter or fabricate monitoring data; or try to evade the authorities’ oversight by illicit means, such as operating pollutant control facilities in an improper manner
- Those subject to penalties on other grounds stipulated in laws and regulations
The full text of the regulations (in simplified Chinese) is available at
http://www.fjrd.gov.cn/ct/16-175180
