Environmental watchdog punishes assessment agencies

BEIJING -- China's environmental watchdog has penalized 34 environmental impact assessment agencies for "falsifying documents" or "poor quality" of assessment reports.

Licenses of eight agencies have been revoked for "obtaining qualifications by deception" or provide assessments beyond their scope of evaluation, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Wednesday.

The eight agencies, including the Qingdao University, have been fined for their misconduct, the ministry said without specifying the sum.

A further 24 agencies have been given three to 12 months to rectify their practices which included falsifying documents; poor quality of assessment reports and failure to undertake assessment tasks as required. They have been banned from offering environmental impact assessment during the rectification period.

Among the transgressors were Peking and Tongji Universities, which have been ordered make substantial improvements within three months.

Two other agencies received warnings and 58 technical personnel either had their licenses revoked or were criticized, the statement said.