The General Office of the State Council recently issued a document promoting a more efficient management system for the permits that allow pollutants to be discharged, with the goal of covering all stationary pollution sources by 2020.

The plan proposes making the permit system the main means for controlling the pollutants discharged from stationary sources, which should be catalogued by the relevant authorities, and it calls for an information platform to be set by 2017 to better manage the permits and share data on the pollutants discharged.

Meanwhile, an environmental assessment and evaluation system will be also incorporated in the overall management system for environmental protection to achieve the overall process of preventing and managing pollution, and controlling the discharge of pollutants.

Environmental protection agencies at or above the county level will verify and issue the permits, and stricter management of enterprises and government-affiliated institutions will be enforced should they exceed their pollution limits.

The permit system for discharging pollutants was launched in China in January 2015. According to the regulations, all organizations and enterprises can legally discharge pollutants－to set limits－only after they gain a permit, otherwise the person directly responsible for the illegal pollution will be detained and punished according to the new Environmental Protection Law.

The pollutant discharge permits clearly stipulate the kind of pollutants permitted to be discharged, their concentration and the total amount. It also makes clear the discharge pattern and period.