First Provincial Public Participation Regulation in the Making

2014-05-14


Hebei Province, where 7 of the top 10 most polluted Chinese cities are located, is looking for more help from the general public to fight pollution. The Provincial People's Congress is drafting a regulation to enhance public participation in environmental assessment and decision-making. This is the first legislative effort on this topic at the provincial level.  On May 14, 2014, NRDC was invited by the China Environmental Education Center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection to a working group meeting that reviewed two draft versions of the regulation framework proposed by different law experts. China Program Director Jingjing Qian and Staff Attorney Qi Wu introduced relevant international experiences and practices on how to ensure meaningful and transparent public participation. A full draft version of the regulation is scheduled for provincial congressional review in September. We will continue to seek opportunities for providing legal assistance to this endeavor.

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