Recent Additions

Clean Water Action Plan June, 2008 (U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue,Ten Year Cooperation on Energy and Environment) (PDF, 8 pp, 41k)
2009 Annual Planning Meeting on Cooperation on Environmental Law and Enforcement
Event: Environmental Litigation and Environmental Court Forum, Beijing, May 22-23, 2009
Event: World Bank IFC - Jiangsu Province International Symposium on Contaminated Site Remediation and Brownfields Redevelopment in Nanjing, May 20-21, 2009

March 30, 2009

MEP Publishes Notice Soliciting Participation in Research Projects for 12th Five Year Plan (2011- 2015) Notice (in Chinese); English summary (see March 4, 2009 blog entry)
Ministry of Environmental Protection issues a Notice (and accompanying Q & A) which sets forth a regulatory opinion on the imposition of administrative punishment in environmental cases. Notice (in Chinese); Q & A (in Chinese); English summary (March 27th blog entry)
Environmental Regulations and Standards in Effect as of March 1, 2009 (MEP News Release, 3/6/09)
China environment watchdog calls off disputed Beijing waste-burning power plant (Xinhua News Agency, 3/11/09)
U.S. House of Representatives, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Hearing: "Preparing for Copenhagen: How Developing Countries Are Fighting Climate Change.” Testimony of Ms. Barbara Finamore, China Program Director, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) 3/4/09
Ministry of Environmental Protection Organization Chart (Courtesy of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.) (PDF, 1 p)
Regulations for the Administration of the Recovery and Disposal of Waste Electric and Electronic Products (China WEEE) Translation courtesy of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey L.L.P. (PDF, 12 pp)
An Assessment of Environmental Regulation of the Steel Industry in China (Alliance for American Manufacturing, 2009)
Nanotechnology in China: Regulations and Patents, by Deming Liu (Nanotechnology Law and Business, Volume 5, Issue 4, Winter 2008) Abstract only.
As Goes China, So Goes the World: Chinese Development and Environment Challenges (Sponsored by American University, Washington College of Law, March 26, 2009)

March 4, 2009

East Asia and the Pacific: Dialogue on U.S.- China Partnership on Clean Energy (U.S. State Department Press Release, February 22, 2009) Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, With Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern And President of GE Energy China Jack Wen, Taiyang Gong Power Plant, Beijing, China
What will drive China’s future legal development : reports from the field : hearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, June 18, 2008. (United States. Congressional-Executive Commission on China. U.S. G.P.O., 2008)
China and Climate Change: Domestic Environmental Needs, Differentiated International Responsibilities, and Rule of Law Weaknesses, by Patricia Ross McCubbin (Environmental & Energy Law & Policy Journal , vol. 3, pp. 200 - 235, Fall 2008) (PDF, 36 pp, 251k)
China's Influence on the American Legal System Resulting from China's Rise to Power, by Mark A. Scott (Suffolk Transnational Law Review, vol. 32, pp. 51 - 92, Winter 2008) (PDF, 41 pp, 381k)
Implementing Environmental Law in Transitional Settings: The Chinese Experience, by Roda Mushkat (Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, vol. 18, pp. 45- 94, Fall 2008) (PDF, 50 pp, 377k)

February 27, 2009

Environmental Regulations and Standards in Effect as of February 1, 2009 (MEP News Release, 2/18/09)
Natural Resources Defense Council releases report on "Strengthening U.S. - China Climate Change and Energy Engagement" (February 2009)
Mid-Term Evaluation of China's 11th Five Year Plan (World Bank, 12/18/08)
Guidelines for Environmental Impact Assessment Atmospheric Environment
issued by China's Ministry of Environmental Protection on Dec 31, 2008 and effective on April 1, 2009 (only the Chinese text is available)

February 12, 2009

China's Environmental Super Ministry Reform: Background, Challenges, and the Future, by Xin Qiu and Honglin Li (Environmental Law Reporter: News & Analysis, vol. 39, no. 2, February 2009, pp. 10152-10163) (PDF, 12 pp, 1.1mb) Copyright(c) 2009 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
'Strong arm' tactics to get India to agree to strict emissions cuts criticised: China and India signal opposition to binding limits on emissions as UN secretary general says developing world 'must do more' (The Guardian, 2/5/09)
Overcoming Obstacles to U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate Change (Brookings Institution, January 2009)
A Roadmap for U.S.-China Cooperation on Energy and Climate Change (Pew Center on Global Climate Change, January 2009) (Also available in a Chinese version)
Event: China’s Changing Courts: Populist Vehicle or Party Puppet (Sponsored by New York University School of Law and the U.S. - Asia Law Institute, February 19, 2009)

January 23, 2009

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Greenlaw (in Chinese)
Future Prospects of China’s Policy on Climate Change, by Jianjun Tu (China Brief, vol. 9, Issue 1, January 12, 2009)
MEP Party Group held a meeting to convey and carry out the spirit of the Meeting of Central Government on Economy (MEP News Release, 12/11/08)
Environmental Regulations and Standards Putting into Effect as of Nov. 1, 2008 (MEP News Release, 12/9/08)
Program for the Implementation of Organizational Rules With Respect to the Environmental Protection Ministry (Translation courtesy of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P) (PDF, 48 pp, 306k)
Addressing Chin's Water Scarcity: Recommendations for Selected Water Resource Management Issues (World Bank, 2009) Includes two chapters on water pollution laws in China.
A New Road for Environmental Protection in China (Summary of a speech titled "Actively Probing a New Road to Environmental Protection with Chinese Characteristics" by China's Minister for Environmental Protection, Zhou Shengxian. (China Greenspace blog, 1/19/09)

January 16, 2009

Overview of the Clean Water Act (PowerPoint presentation prepared by EPA Office of General Counsel, 11/20/08) (PDF, 44 pp, 230k)
Overview of the Symposium on Environmental Law and Regulation at Tsinghua University Environmental Policy Institute (Prepared by EPA Office of General Counsel, April, 2008) (PDF, 3 pp, 21k)
American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative - China

December 8, 2008

Work Plan for Sino-U.S. Cooperation in Environmental Law Development, Implementation, and Enforcement (May 20, 2008) (PDF, 15 pp, 7.9 MB)

November 25, 2008

Environmental regulations and standards that took effect October 1 (MEP news release, 9/30/08)
China's environmental NGOs' influence increases as total doubles in 3 years (Xinhua News Agency,10/31/08)
China's Environmental Retreat, In Tough Economic Times, Promises Fall by Wayside, by Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post Foreign Service (Washington Post, 11/19/08, p. A12)
White paper: China's policies and actions on climate change (China.Org.CN, 10/29/08)
Middling Kingdom : The Paper Panda, by Samuel Bleicher (Environmental Forum, vol. 25, no. 6 November/December 2008, p. 24 (PDF, 6 pp, 999k) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.

October 28, 2008

Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2007, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, Vol. 38, Issue 10, October 2008, p. 10718) (PDF, 8 pp, 175K) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
Different Operating Systems, by Dan Guttman (The Environmental Forum, vol. 25, no. 6, November/December 2008, p. 27) (PDF, 1 pp, 139K) Copyright(c) 2008 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
Comparative Analysis of Air Pollution Trading in the United States and China, by Heather Jarvis and Wei Xu (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, vol. 36, Issue 3, March 2006, p. 10234) (PDF, 17 pp, 369K) Copyright(c) 2006 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
China’s Water Laws and New Conservation Technologies. October 31, 2008, 11:30-1:15, Regal International East Asia Hotel. An AmCham Shanghai Environmental Committee Event

October 16, 2008

Report on Indicators of Major Pollutant Discharges of All Provinces, Autonomous Regions and Municipalities for the First Half of 2008 (MEP news release, 9/24/08)
Classified Directory for Environmental Management of Construction Projects (MEP news release, 9/26/08)
New traffic ban takes 800,000 cars off Beijing roads (MEP News release, 10/14/08)
Sino-American Working Group on Climate Change Launched by Tsinghua University and the University of California Santa Barbara. They will hold the first formal meeting of the working group in November 2008 in China.
MIT report debunks China energy myth: The problem isn't in the technology, it's the operations (MIT News Office, 10/6/08)
Scientist urges U.S. to stop 'blaming' China for its emissions (Earth News, 9/29/08)
Broader Environment Checks on Table (China Daily, 10/7/08)
Proposal to cut country's emissions (China Daily, 9/19/08)
Climate Change Policy And Policy Change in China. by Jonathan B. Wiener.
(UCLA Law Review, vol. 55, August 2008, pp. 1805-1826) (PDF, 22 pp, 175K)
Climate Change: The China Problem, by Michael P. Vandenbergh. (Southern California Law Review, vol. 81, July 2008, pp. 905-958) (PDF, 54 pp, 283K)
Giving the Courts Green Teeth - Current Developments in Environmental Enforcement in China. Sponsored by China Environment Forum, 10/22/08

September 16, 2008

Scientists fear impact of Asian pollutants on U.S. (McClatchy newspapers, 8/31/08)
Local Officials Face Penalties over Pollution (MEP news release, 9/12/08)
Beijingers vexed on keeping car ban (China Daily, 8/31/08)
NPC standing committee reads draft laws on food safety, recycling (China Daily, 8/25/08)
Beijing to adopt stricter environment measures after Olympics: official (Xinhua News Agency, 8/23/08)
Dusty Struggle in a Cement Kiln’s Shadow (Caijing Magazine, 8/29/08)
China government adviser urges greenhouse gas cuts (Reuters, 9/8/08)
China Passes U.S., Leads World in Power Sector Carbon Emissions (Center for Global Development, 9/8/08)
Environmental Guidelines for Firms Investing abroad (MEP news release, 9/12/08)
China adopts law to promote circular economy (China Daily, 8/30/08)
Recycling law to bolt progression price system (China Daily, 8/26/08)
LawInfoChina.com (www.lawinfochina.com is the site for English-language resources on Chinese law created and maintained by Chinalawinfo Co., Ltd., and the Legal Information Center of Peking University. Some resources require payment of a subscription fee.)
Legal System of China (LawinfoChina.com)
Circular Economy Law of the People's Republic of China (English translation courtesy Squires, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.) adopted 8/29/08 (PDF, 21pp)
Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Water Resources of the People's Republic of China and the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America in the Field of Water Resources Management (signed 3/27/07) (PDF, 4 pp)
Strategy for Clean Air and Energy Cooperation. between. The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States of America and the State Environmental Protection Administration of the People's Republic of China (2004) (PDF, 5 pp)
Environmental Law and Policy In The People's Republic of China, by Stefanie Beyer (Chinese Journal of International Law, vol. 5, no. 1, February 2006, pp. 185-211) Abstract only. Article is available for purchase from the publisher.
Clean Energy and Environment Trade Mission (U.S. Dept. of Commerce)
China Law Center (Yale School of Law)

August 25, 2008

American Bar Association, International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter. The August 2008 issue focuses on Chinese environmental law. Contributors include: Robert Percival, Roger Martella, Charles R. McElwee II, and others.

August 22, 2008

A Strategic Economic Engagement: Strengthening U.S.-Chinese Ties, by Henry M. Paulson Jr. ( Foreign Affairs, September-October 2008)
Clean Energy: an Exporter's Guide to China (U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, July 2008) (PDF, 113 pp, 3.2MB)
Winds of Change for China's Environment Protection (MEP Press Release, 8/15/08)
China to continue anti-pollution campaigns after Olympics (Xinhua News Agency, 8/3/08)
Tax on big cars raised to save fuel (China Daily.com, 8/14/08)
Hearing on China's Energy Policies and Their Environmental Impacts (U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, 8/13/08)
China to regulate recycling of electronic waste (Xinhua News Agency, 8/20/08)

July 28, 2008

Polluting Cities, Firms Punished ahead of Olympics (MEP Press Release, 7/16/08)
Environment ministry adds 2 departments (China Daily, 7/11/08)
Study: Closing coal-burning power plant in China cut rate of toddlers' development problems (International Herald Tribune, 7/15/08)
Slow Progress (China Daily, 7/14/08)
Pollution emission permits delayed (China Daily, 7/4/08)
MEP - Announcement on Releasing Catalogue of Solid Wastes Forbidden to Import... (Announcement 11, 2008)
MEP Issued the State of the Environment of China 2007--Pollution Prevention & Control Shifted from Passive Response into Active Prevention (MEP Press Release, 6/4/08)
China Increases Lead as Biggest Carbon Dioxide Emitter (New York Times, 6/14/08) Related document: Global CO2 emissions: increase continued in 2007 (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 6/13/08)
U.S. and China Establish Ten-Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and Environment. At the June, 2008 meeting of the U.S.–China Strategic Economic Dialogue, the U.S. and China signed a “Framework for the Ten Year Cooperation on Energy and Environment.”
Event: Panel on China and the Environment, September 19, 2008. American Bar Association, Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources’ 16th Section Fall Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.
Event: China's Environment: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It? Held at the University of California, Berkeley, December 7-8, 2007. A summary of the presentations is available, as well as links to online videos of the conference.
EPA-SEPA Memorandum of Understanding on Science and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Environment, signed 12/8/03. (PDF, 10 pp, 382k. Includes Annexes 1-4)
Beyond Compliance: Assessing Water Management Practices and Opportunities in Chinese Apparel Factories. (Business for Social Responsibility MAP Team, 2008) (PDF, 55 pp, 7MB)
China's Efforts and Achievements in Promoting the Rule of Law (China State Council White Paper, 2008) Section IV includes discussion of environmental law.
A Price Too High – Health Impacts of Air Pollution in southern China (Civic Exchange, June 2008) (PDF, 100 pp)
Water Pollution Emergencies in China: Prevention and Response (World Bank, June 2007) (PDF, 30 pp, 340K)
Cultural Devolution: Solving China's environmental catastrophe, by Bradford Plumer (New Republic, 7/9/08)

May 14, 2008

Translation of new PRC Food Safety Law draft, May 12,2008 Translated by EU-China Trade Project

May 9, 2008

China's Pollution Discharge Permit System Evolves Behind Its Economic
Expansion, by Wang Mingyuan (Villanova Environmental Law Journal, vol XIX, Issue I, 2008, pp. 95-121) (PDF, 27 pp, 22MB) Posted with the permission of the author.
Author's note: "On 28 February, 2008, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress amended the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the PRC, and the water pollutant discharge permit system was formally introduced into the amended law (Art. 20)."
The Environment : reprinted from the 2007 Annual Report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, 110th Congress, first session, October 10, 2007 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008) (PDF, 13 pp, 70K)
Impact of emergencies in 2007 : three cases : reprinted from the 2007 Annual Report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, 110th Congress, first session, October 10, 2007 (U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008) (PDF, 20 pp, 91K) Covers food safety, product quality, and climate change.
China now top carbon polluter (USA Today 5/1/08)
China calls for help on climate change (The Associated Press 4/21/08)
MEP Passes Work Rule Draft (ChinaCSR.com, 4/25/08)
Harvard Scholars Discuss China's Air (University Wire, 4/18/08)
California to cooperate on climate with China (Reuters, 4/22/08)
China issues jail threat in new food safety law (Guardian, UK, 4/21/08)
MEPC Publishes Four New Chinese Pollution Standards (ChinaCSR.com, 4/15/08)
New move to protect reservoirs (China Daily, 4/25/08)
Planning regulation to be ready by year end (MEP news release, 4/29/08)
China Unveils Environmental Protection Plan (ChinaCSR.com, 4/17/08)
Can China save the Yellow — its mother river? (National Geographic, May 2008)
Draft regulation on food safety published to solicit public opinion (National People's Congress news release, 4/21/08)

April 30, 2008

China Environmental Law Blog : China’s Environmental and Energy laws, regulations, and policies discussed daily (Written by Charlie McElwee, an international environmental and energy lawyer based in Shanghai)
Water Pollution Act Amendments (Chapter IV) (Specific Prohibitions) (China Environmental Law Blog, 4/21/08)

April 15, 2008

Making central-local relations work: Comparing America and China environmental governance systems, by Dan Guttman and Song Yaqin (Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering in China, vol. 1, no. 4, October, 2007, pp. 418-433) Abstract only. Full text of article can be purchased from the publisher.

March 28, 2008

Environment chief vows to add muscle (March 25, 2008)
China's pollution nightmare is now everyone's pollution nightmare (March 19, 2008)
Chinese parliament stamps on premier's cabinet nominations and newly established Ministry of Environmental Protection approved (March 11, 2008)
Green governance ranking list to come in months in China (March 11, 2008)
The National Eleventh Five-year Plan for Environmental Protection (2006-2010) (March 5, 2008)
Political advisors propose assessment system for environment-damaging exports (March 4, 2008)
Breaking the Suicide Pact: U.S.–China Cooperation on Climate Change, by William Chandler (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Policy Brief no. 57, March 2008)
EPA General Counsel Roger Martella will speak at the Symposium on Environmental Law and Regulation at Tsinghua University, April 13, 2008.

March 7, 2008

Is China Turning Green? -- A Commentary by Daniel Esty (Originally published in Fortune Magazine on May 4, 2007)
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - an Environmental Review (United Nations Environment Programme, 2007)

February 29, 2008

EPA General Counsel Roger Martella testifies on China’s environmental challenges (PDF, 10 pp, 54k) EPA General Counsel Roger Martella was invited to testify at a hearing on “The Impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Human Rights and Rule of Law in China” held by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, chaired by Congressman Levin (MI) and Senator Dorgan (ND) on February 27. His testimony noted UNEP's assessment that China appears headed towards meeting most (but not all) of Beijing’s goals for a “green Olympics,” expanding wastewater treatment and lowering local emissions of some key pollutants (while particulate levels in Beijing remain high and effects of transferring heavily polluting industries outside Beijing should also be considered). More broadly, he noted the extremely serious pollution problems facing China and contrasted China's increasing environmental efforts with continuing gaps in implementation, citing as examples (limited) progress on providing avenues for public participation and aspects of the environmental law framework that are vague, lack teeth, or are hampered by the need for stronger mechanisms for cooperation and accountability between Beijing and the provinces.
China’s Strategic Priorities in International Climate Change Negotiations, by Joanna I. Lewis (Washington Quarterly. vol. 31, no. 1, Winter 2007-2008, pp. 155-174)
Not in My Backyard: China's Rising Middle Class Growing Environmental Contention (February 28, 2008)
China starts first nationwide pollution census (February 27, 2008)
Public encouraged to tackle pollution (February 20, 2008)
SEPA Report on Three Gorges Water Quality (February 19, 2008)
China amends water pollution law (February 29, 2008)
China targets company executives in fight against pollution (February 26, 2008)
China sets pollution reduction targets for 2008 (February 12, 2008)
Analysis: China conservation doubts remain (February 22, 2008)
China blacklists 141 seriously polluting products (February 26, 2008)
Listed firms ordered to submit green data (February 26, 2008)
China May Cut Export Rebates for Polluting Chemicals (Update 1) (February 26, 2008)
South China province blacklists heavy polluters (February 23, 2008)
China publishes new environmental economy policy (February 19, 2008)
Official: More efforts needed to implement environment-friendly loan policy (February 13, 2008)
China Adopts First Nationwide Open Government Information Regulations
By Jamie P. Horsley (May 9, 2007)
Law of the People's Republic of China on Energy Conservation to take effect of April 1, 2008 (translation courtesy of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP) (PDF, 26pp, 367k)

February 22, 2008

Measures on Open Environmental Information, for Trial Implementation (Adopted by the State Environmental Protection Administration of China
on February 8, 2007; Effective May 1, 2008) (PDF, 8 pp, 44k)
China's new information disclosure regulation was signed by Premier Wen Jiabao on April 24, 2007. This regulation will take effect May 1, 2008. Text of regulation: English (PDF, 9 pp, 42k)
Web Site Tracks China's Pollution Levels (December 18, 2007) Related site: China Water Pollution Map
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - an Environmental Review (United Nations Environment Programme)
Clean Air, Clear Processes? The Struggle over Air Pollution Law in the People's Republic of China, by William P. Alford and Benjamin L. Liebman (Hastings Law Journal, vol. 52, no. 3, March 2001, p. 703)

February 15, 2008

Who's Cleaning Up This Mess? by Charles R. McElwee II (Originally published in the January - February 2008 issue of the China Business Review, Pg. 20)
China to bring in green loan benchmark (January 25, 2008)
Environmental protection in China: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air (January 24, 2008)
New ruling on contents of detergent (January 23, 2008)
China Offers Plan to Clean Up Its Polluted Lakes (January 23, 2008)
China eyes energy, environment ministries in March (January 14, 2008)

February 8, 2008

Efforts in Moving Towards a Low Carbon Future: China's Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Laws (February 13, 2008) sponsored by the China Environment Forum
Battery Council International's Health, Safety and Environment Technology Conference , Shenzhen, China (March 3-4, 2008)

February 1 , 2008

Strategic Economic Dialogue. The U.S. and China held the third Cabinet-level meeting of the Strategic Economic Dialogue from December 12-13, 2007 outside Beijing. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson was part of a delegation of six U.S. Cabinet officials and agency heads who joined the talks, which were co-chaired by Treasury Secretary Paulson and China’s Vice Premier Wu Yi.
Environmental Impact of Exports and Imports
U.S. EPA and China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 13, 2007 to strengthen cooperation on sound environmental management practices related to imports and exports. The text of the MOU is also available in Chinese.
Joint Commission on Environmental Cooperation (JCEC) Read more
The Joint Commission on Environmental Cooperation (JCEC) met on December 14, 2007. The Joint Commission is a forum for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and China’s State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) to discuss cooperation under the EPA-SEPA Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Cooperation.
Sulfur Dioxide Emissions Trading Program
China announced plans to develop and implement a nationwide program on sulfur dioxide emissions trading in the power sector. The United States will provide technical assistance to support the development of the necessary infrastructure and institutional capacity for the successful implementation of the program. Read more information about this program.
Group wants more polluters in court (January 16, 2008)
Toxic Factories Take Toll On China's Labor Force (January 15, 2008)
People vs. chemical plant (January 14, 2008)
Revised Resource Tax System to be Announced (January 14, 2008)
Public Yet To Read the Green of Environment (January 8, 2008)
Action Plan on Environment and Health (2007-2015) (January 5, 2008)
China Environmental Health Fact Sheets (published in 2007by the China Environment Forum, Woodrow Wilson Institute for Scholars)

January 10, 2008

Beijing Introduces Cleaner Fuel Standard (January 1, 2008)
China considers amendments to provide for compensation for environmental injuries (December 25, 2007)
Firms may have to disclose environmental information (December 24, 2007)
China proposes to amend Water Pollution Control Law to raise "violation cost" for water polluters (December 23, 2007)
China issues report on addressing climate change (December 22, 2007)
China, US to sign deal on environmental protection in import, export (December 12, 2007)
SEPA releases planning guideline of China's major ecological function preservation zones (December 10, 2007)
Chinese NGO Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims Hosts Environmental Law Training in Beijing October 26 - November 1 (January 2008) For additional information: Wang Canfa (of Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims) named Time Magazine Environmental "Hero" (October 22, 2007)
China: An Introduction to Current Environmental Trends, by Charles R. McElwee, Ii. (International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter, Vol. 10, no. 1, October 2007, p. 35)
China’s Increasing Focus on Europe: Trends and Implications for the Development of Chinese Environmental Law, by Richard J. (“Tad”) Ferri (International Environmental Law Committee Newsletter, Vol. 7, no. 2, May 2005, p. 1)

December 18, 2007

International Forum on Environmental Legislation and Sustainable Development (sponsored by China's National People's Congress, )took place on December 1-2, 2007. The agenda included sessions on Environmental Policies and Legislation, Legislation on Energy Conservation and Renewables, Public Participation, Public Interest Litigation, and Prevention and Control of Water Pollution. Read the Global Environmental Law Blog report.

December 11, 2007

Experts urge tougher pollution controls (December 1, 2007)
China's environmental watchdog plans to raise fine on water polluters (November 26, 2007)
Annual Review of Chinese Environmental Law Developments: 2006, by Mingqing You (Environmental Law Reporter News & Analysis, Vol. 37, Issue 11, p. 10836) Copyright(c) 2007 Environmental Law Institute(r), Washington, DC. Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
China's Coming Environmental Renaissance (November 29, 2007)
Worldwatch China Program Manager Yingling Liu responds to a recent essay on China’s environment published in Foreign Affairs. She discusses China’s looming ecological challenges and points to some of the more promising developments in the country’s environmental movement.
Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) to meet in Beijing on December 12-13, 2007. EPA Administrator Steve Johnson is expected to sign a new Annex on EPA-SEPA Cooperation on Environmental Law and Enforcement at the meeting. Read Administrator Johnson's "Trip Diary From China."

September - November, 2007

Chinese government praises NGO's role in making environment-friendly policies (October 31, 2007)
EPA General Counsel presentation at China Environment Forum January 31, 2008. Panel discussion: "Restocking China's Environmental Tool Kit: Improving Implementation of Energy and Pollution Control Laws." This event was webcast live, and the video archive will be available on the China Environment Forum web page.
China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) proposed rules on pollutant discharge licensing for public comment on October 25, 2007. The (For Comment Draft) Regulations for Pollutant Discharge Licensing [text in Chinese]would impose a licensing system for release of pollutants. Also included are provisions on license application, review and approval, supervision and inspection and penalties.
China imposes new export restrictions on polluting companies. On October 8, 2007 China issued The Notice on Strengthening Environmental Supervision of Export Enterprises [text in Chinese] , which requires authorities to suspend export licenses and deny quota applications against violators of environmental regulations. A system of environmental monitors will be phased in. Priority sectors cited include metallurgy, chemical, cement, textile and light industry. Provincial environmental and commerce departments are also required to set up joint working groups supervise compliance.
Debate over new environmental legislation (November 7, 2007)
Hong Kong legislation addresses emissions trading with Guangdong Province (October 12, 2007)
China seeks public input on amendments to water pollution law (September 2007)
Energy law to focus on unified management (November 17, 2007) The draft of the country's first energy law will highlight "unified administration" of the sector, but stop short of spelling out the establishment of an energy ministry, a key drafter said on Friday.
China cabinet to get energy law draft by early 2008 (October 25, 2007)
MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) established a Foreign Work Leading Group to address climate change (September 4, 2007)
Premier Wen stresses combating climate change and energy saving at the first meeting of related national leading group (July 10, 2007)
China to require environmental deposits from mines (November 16, 2007) China will require miners to pay deposits to guarantee the environmental clean-up of their sites under a policy to be launched next year, the China Daily said on Friday.
Ecology vital for scientific outlook of development (November 13, 2007) "Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) can provide the most powerful support system for China to realize sustainable development and establish a conservation culture, said Pan Yue, deputy director of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA)."

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