China targets corruption in environment impact assessment

BEIJING - China has revised regulations on environmental impact assessors to combat corruption, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said on Thursday.

The regulation prohibits any enterprises funded by environmental authorities or their affiliates from being accredited as assessment agencies.

The regulation also tightens supervision over the environment impact assessments, including raising fines, holding both agencies and practitioners accountable for wrongdoing, and making the process more transparent.

Cheng Lifeng, director of the MEP Environmental Impact Assessment Department, said the regulation was a response to criticism of discipline inspectors following an MEP inspection in February.

The regulation will take effect on Nov 1.