 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
China To Force Polluters To Pay More
Beijing (AFP) June 27, 2007 China is set to double fees that companies must pay for pollution amid concerns that efforts to clean up the environment are not working well enough, state press said Wednesday. The move is aimed at forcing companies who do not care for the environment to improve their pollution habits through cost pressures, the China Daily said, citing National Development and Reform Commission vice minister Bi Jingquan. "There is a desperate need for the country to instill the principle that those creating pollution must pay the costs," the newspaper quoted Bi of the top economic planning agency as saying. Charges on sewage and sulphur dioxide emissions are likely to double from the current levels of 0.67 yuan (0.09 dollar) per tonne and 0.63 yuan per tonne respectively, he said, without disclosing when the new rules would take effect. He added that companies who did not pay the fees would face a cut in electricity and water supply as the new discharge fees may be combined with utility bills. The higher fees come amid warnings that the country might fail in 2007 to meet central government targets of reducing energy consumption and emissions for a second year running. "In the first half of this year, we have not met the set goal (for energy consumption reduction)," Bi said. "The release of major pollutants has also not significantly declined." China set a target to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent, or four percent each year, from 2006 to 2010. Sulphur dioxide emissions were also supposed to be cut by 10 percent over the same period. However all the first-year targets were missed by a wide margin.
Source: Agence France-Presse Email This Article
Related Links
Newmont Lodges Counter-Appeal In Indonesian Mining Case
Jakarta (AFP) June 27, 2007US mining giant Newmont said Wednesday it had lodged a counter-motion against an appeal by Indonesian prosecutors, the latest twist in a high-profile pollution case that the company won in April. The local unit of Newmont and its president director, Richard Ness, contended in the motion that the appeal to the Supreme Court was unlawful as the original court hearing was in compliance with applicable laws. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
