The Wider Environment
Throwing open the floor
23/02/2006 14:26:38
As awareness of the environmental consequences of ’s rapid economic growth spreads, so the role of ’s State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) grows ever more crucial in promoting the “greening” of . But SEPA is also playing a groundbreaking role in a different but equally important field: public consultation.
The SEPA document represents the culmination of a highly unusual sequence of events, which saw a Chinese government agency invite the public to participate in the law-making process.
In early November, SEPA circulated "draft measures on public participation in EIAs," inviting comments by Dec. 7. A number of groups jumped at the offer, including the National Resources Defense Council, an American group with a
NRDC's detailed review of SEPA's draft document included recommendations that public participation should occur early in the EIA process, be open to all concerned members of the public, and be backed by "robust enforcement measures and real consequences for noncompliance."