Monthly Archives: April 2009
China’s Supreme People’s Court to Release Judicial Interpretations on Open Government Information This Year
The first anniversaries of the State Council Open Government Information Regulations (OGI Regulations) and the State Environmental Protection Administration Measures on Environmental Open Information are tomorrow. We will be posting a Year in Review article by my colleague Joan Hu that tells the tale of open information in China over the past 12 months, so stay tuned. As we look back on this first year, not surprisingly, there have already been quite a few cases in which lack of clarity, strained readings or outright disregard for the regulations have led to members of the public having difficulty in obtaining environmental … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(2)
Chinese journalists outraged as Heilongjiang EPB deems pollution figures confidential
Last week, controversy erupted at the the Heilongjiang Provincial government’s 2009 enforcement and environmental emergency management work meeting. Ten media outlets were invited by the provincial government to attend as observers. According to this article, two Xinhua journalists were stopped by a government official when they attempted to photograph internal documents listing pollution violators, information that the Heilongjiang Environmental Protection Bureau was legally obligated to disclose. Instead, an official told them that the information they wanted was considered “confidential,” and that the information currently in existence was “enough” for the media. Upon having their requests rebuffed, many journalists left the … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(4)
Cases of Citizens Defending Environmental Rights: China’s First Case of Human Death from Noise Pollution
To help victims of pollution use the law to protect their legal environmental rights, and to give the wider public the basic legal knowledge to protect the environment and their environmental rights, the “People and the Environment” supplement of the Gansu Economic Daily closely planned and consulted with the Environment and Resources Law Research and Service Center at the China University of Political Science and Law before formally launching the “Citizens’ Environmental Rights Protection” column on May 9, 2007. Its goal is to advance and spread the implementation of environmental law in China. This is a collection of cases that … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(0)
Recent Environmental Law and Public Participation News
Heilongjiang EPB refuses to disclose pollution violations, creating controversy (Google translation) Several reporters angrily stormed out of an environmental enforcement and emergency management work conference held by the Heilongjiang Provincial government after officials refused to disclose illegal sewage dumping violations of enterprises in the province. This op-ed in the China Business Times calls for the disclosure of such information, saying the government was wrong to withhold it from the public. (Source: China Business Times) Report: China scores low in latest financial transparency assessment (Google translation) Jiang Hong, National CPPCC representative and professor at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(0)
In The Land of Solar Water Heaters
I was in Yunnan last week visiting lead-zinc mining country. Anyone who has been to Kunming knows that it is the land of rooftop solar water heaters. Here was the view from my hotel:
China Forging Ahead on Clean Vehicles
NRDC China Program Director Barbara Finamore recently posted on NRDC Switchboard a short entry examining China’s new clean vehicle intiatives. We think that our both our Chinese and international audience would appreciate her insights. The English post is available below, with our Chinese translation coming soon. On Wednesday, April 1st (no, it’s not an April Fools Day prank), the New York Times reported that China has adopted a plan that will make them one of the world’s leaders in electric and hybrid car production. Set on a highly ambitious trajectory of just three years, China hopes to turn the market … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(0)
Earth Day
April 22 is Earth Day, a time for all of us to appreciate and reflect on the environment. This celebration originally emerged in 1970 in the United States. More than three decades later, April 22 marks Earth day celebrations not just in the US, but all around the world. The US government has its own Earth Day portal, which contains resources and links for people to take action and accelerate environmental progress. The site contains tips for how to be more environmentally friendly at home, in class, and at work. Volunteer links and a special “for kids” site are designed … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(0)
The Yunnan Arsenic Lake Pollution Trial: the view from the courtroom (almost)
It is not often one gets the chance to see a criminal trial in China, particularly one with national (if not international) attention. We had that chance last week. Here is a bit about what we saw. A little background first: Last June, Yangzonghai Lake, a drinking water source for about 26,000 people about an hour southeast of Kunming, was found to be heavily contaminated with arsenic. After investigation, the local government determined that the source of the contamination was Chengjiang Jinye Industry and Trade Co. (“Jinye”), a manufacturer of fertilizer. The company was ordered closed on September 17th. In … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(0)
U.S. EPA Begins Process to Regulate Greenhouse Gases
The New York Times reported last Friday that the US EPA had issued a proposed finding that six greenhouse gases are pollutants that threaten public health and welfare, “setting in motion a process that for the first time in the United States will regulate the gases blamed for global warming.” This is tremendous news and a critical sign that we are going to see concrete action on climate change in the United States soon.
Recent Environmental Law and Public Participation News
Shanghai to further improve its open information disclosure performance (Google translation) On April 17, the Shanghai city government released a document spelling out new open information responsibilities and tasks divided into six different categories and 109 individual goals. Some of the tasks the Shanghai government pledges to carry out include further transparency of government funds, disclosure of non-tax income usage, improved transparency regarding the housing system, and new projects to engage the public. (Source: Jiefang Daily) Jiangmen city received only one information disclosure app: what does this mean? (Google translation) With the release of the 2008 Open Government Information Annual … Continue reading 阅读全文 Add comment 发表评论(1)
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