The Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently issued Work Focuses of Environmental Impact Assessment and Emission Management 2019 to propel the issuance of pollutant discharge licenses in key industries, strengthen the supervision after issuing the licenses, and further clarify the responsibilities of polluters.

key task in this year is to reduce fixed pollution sources, which will be gradually managed by the pollutant discharge license systems. While cracking down on unlicensed emissions, ecology and environment departments (at all levels) are to strictly supervise firms, especially in high-polluting industries, and located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and its surrounding 2+26 cities, the Yangtze River Economic Zone and the Circum-Bohai-Sea region. The government is to issue pollutant discharge licenses in key industries, like phosphate fertilizers, water treatment, etc. in 2019.

In addition, the document calls for strengthening the management of environmental impact assessment in key regions and key industries. Related departments are to make environmental impact assessment guidelines for industries of phosphorite, phosphorus chemicals, phosphogypsum storage, oil and gas exploitation, coal, etc. Further, local ecology and environment departments are to research and make environmental access requirements.