Major industrial polluters will be barred from raising capital
on the stock market, the top environment watchdog said yesterday
while pledging to step up efforts to reduce industrial waste.
"Enterprises found guilty of environmental violations or failing
to meet pollutant discharge requirements will not be allowed to
list their shares," said Zhou Shengxian, minister of the State
Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).
Listed companies "should open up their environmental records to
public scrutiny", Zhou added.
In addition, starting 2009, all enterprises which discharge
pollutants must obtain environmental permits. "Otherwise, they will
not be allowed to continue, or start, operations," he warned.
"We will speed up industrial restructuring to ensure that the
target of phasing out outdated techniques, equipment and products
is met by the end of 2010," Zhou said.
His remarks follow encouraging news reports that the nation has
made headway in curbing pollutant emissions.
Both air and water pollution dropped for the first time in the
first nine months, thanks to intensified environmental protection
efforts.
Figures released last week by the environmental watchdog show
that in the first three quarters, emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2)
- the major air pollutant - hit 19.06 million tons, down 1.81
percent year on year. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) - a key water
pollution index - was 10.44 million tons, down 0.28 percent.
Zhou said that maximum levels of pollutant emissions would be
set for different regions; and those that cross the limit will not
be allowed to embark on new projects.
He also listed other key measures to combat water pollution,
including enhancing the protection of drinking water resources and
improving assessments of water exploitation projects.
Zhou said he hoped the quality of all of the country's key
drinking water resources reaches national standards by 2008; by
2010, 70 percent of urban sewage is processed before being
discharged; and COD emissions drop by 10 percent from 2005.
A survey last year showed that surface water was generally
affected by "medium pollution". One third of the 744 samples of
surface water were graded "worst polluted".
(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2007)