Regulations on Administration of Pollutant Discharge Permits were adopted on 9 Dec. 2020, and entered into force on 1 Mar. 2021.

There are 51 articles in total. The Regulations aim to strengthen the administration of permitting pollutant discharges, regulate pollutant discharge activities, and protect and improve the ecological environment.

Key points of the Regulations are as follows:

1.A pollutant discharger shall apply for a pollutant discharge permit to the competent authority of ecology and environment of the local people’s government at or above the municipal level in the place where its premises of production and operation are located.

2.A pollutant discharger shall, in accordance with its pollutant discharge permit and relevant standards, lawfully conduct self-monitoring, and keep original monitoring records. A pollutant discharger shall establish an environmental management records system to record the operation of its main production facilities and the volume of pollutants discharged. And it shall submit a pollutant discharge permit compliance report to the approval authority in accordance with the pollutant discharge permit.

3.The competent authority of ecology and environment shall record the time, content, and results of law enforcement inspections and sanction decisions on the National Pollutant Discharge Permits Administration Information Platform, and incorporate the sanction decisions into the relevant national credit information system for public disclosure.