Economic Observer Online
August 21, 2012
By Jiang Yunzhang (降蕴彰)
Translated by Zhu Na
Original article: [Chinese]

The Economic Observer Online learned that the 28th session of the 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee will be held from Aug 27 to Aug 31. According to the conference agenda, the Environmental Protection Law amendment draft and Tourism Law draft will be discussed.

According to expert analysis, a new version of the Environmental Protection Law is likely to be launched within the year.

The current Environmental Protection Law was officially introduced in 1989. Over the years since, the State Council has issued more than 30 administrative laws and regulations on environmental protection; and specific policies related to the Environmental Protection Law have been revised many times. But the basic framework has remained unchanged since 1989. 

Many laws and policies related to the Environmental Protection Law are contradictory and some regulations exist in name only, according to experts 

In 2003 the NPC founded the Environment and Resources Protection Committee. Since then, the NPC has continuously suggested that the Environmental Protection Law be amended. In early 2011, the NPC Standing Committee formally planned to include an overhaul in its 2011 legislation.

But when the Ministry of Environmental Protection organized experts to draft the Environmental Protection Law amendment, certain ministries and experts had disagreements and the legislation was delayed.