Environmental protection is a major area in the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.

Environmental protection bureaus of the three areas are planning heavy pollution alerts, emergency management, information sharing,management of pollution from vessels, and tail gas regional management. The Ministry of Finance will soon issue a special capital fund for managing air pollution.

Li Lixin, director of the regional air pollution management department of Beijing's Environmental Protection Bureau said at a global seminar on regional environmental protection that a total of 5.9 billion yuan ($950.49 million) of the fund will be spent in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei to manage the air pollution.

The seminar was held from June 15 to 16. Think tanks from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Tsinghua University, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, and non-governmental organizations attended the seminar, and officials from environmental protection departments in the European Union, US, Italy, Germany, South Korea, and Japan gave suggestions on the integrated development of environmental protection.

Wang Jinnan, vice president and general engineer of the Environmental Planning Institute by the Ministry of Environmental Protection said that Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will establish stricter pollution management standards and construct an integrated ecological system.

Beijing, Tianjin, and eight Hebei cities will be the major air pollution control area. Another three Hebei cities - Zhangjiakou, Chengde, and Qinhuangdao will be involved in general air pollution control area, said Wang.

Regional environmental legislation will be promoted in the near future. Uniform regional standards, coordinating and administrative institutions, and cross-regional evaluation will be launched, added Wang.

The Proposal for the Integrated Development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, released on April 30, pointed out that as a major state strategy, the development of the region should focus on orderly decentralizing the non-capital functions of Beijing.

Chang Jiwen, deputy director of the Resource and Environment Policy Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said that the most important areas are environmental protection, transportation, and industrial upgrade.

Vice-Premiere Zhang Gaoli emphasized air pollution management and said that ecological and environmental protection should be pioneering areas of the implementation of the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei in May, 2014.

The prevention and management of smog should be the start of integrated environmental management. The three areas have launched individual emergency management proposals towards heavy air pollution. After the APEC, cooperation among the three regions in heavy pollution alert, emergency management, and information sharing has developed rapidly.

The integrated mechanism has contributed to the emergency management of heavy pollution. The next step should be implementing long-term mechanisms for managing heavy pollution in core areas of the region, said Li.

The PM 2.5 density in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei decreased 14.6 percent in 2014 and 20 percent in the first four months of 2015.

More detailed proposal on management of pollution from vessels is being planned for the region, which is surrounded by dozens of ports.

Many vessels in the circum-Bohai-Sea area emit high pollution, said Li. Emissions from ports and vessels will be further studied. An emission list based on the research report will be implemented. According to research by Tianjin, Hebei, and Shandong, docked vessels should use onshore electricity and clean energy to reduce the pressure vessels bring to the environment.

In addition, the prevention and management of vehicles, coal firing, and industrial emissions is in progress. Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will accelerate the retirement of vehicles that do not meet emissions standards, according to Li. Beijing will also strengthen the management of heavy diesel vehicles. Law enforcement and punishment have been launched in Beijing.

The work team on tail gas emissions in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei was formed in Beijing on June 4. Law enforcement has been integrated in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Henan.

Lv Wen, director of the Air Pollution Department of the Hebei Environmental Protection Bureau said that the reconstruction of coal boilers in thermal power, iron and steel, petrifaction, non-ferrous metals, and chemical engineering will be further promoted. The pollution emission standard of reconstructed projects is expected to be uniformed. with uniform emissions standards.

The effects of environmental management depend on development and management. Reducing the emission is essential. Pollution from coal and vehicles should be controlled. Moreover, setting the environment as the first priority in development strategies should be effective measures.