• time;2024-04-30 11:17:46

The pollutant discharge permit system is the core system for environmental management of fixed pollution sources and an important means to promote the implementation of the main responsibility of pollutant discharge units. Strengthening the main responsibility of polluting units is a key link in implementing the pollutant discharge permit system, which helps to enhance the ability and level of ecological environment governance.

With the continuous deepening of the reform of the pollutant discharge permit system, the main responsibility of pollutant discharge units has gradually become clear. The revision of the "Management Measures for Pollutant Discharge Permits" (hereinafter referred to as the "Management Measures") once again strengthens the five main responsibilities of enterprises, including self commitment, self-monitoring, ledger recording, execution report, and information disclosure, consolidates the environmental protection responsibility of enterprises, and promotes the ecological environment management department to fulfill its regulatory responsibilities. Promoting precise and scientific pollution control in accordance with the law through "detailed classification, clear responsibilities, and strong law enforcement" is a concrete manifestation of implementing the deployment of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to comprehensively implement the pollutant discharge permit system.

One is classification management, with precise objects. The Management Measures clarify the scope and categories of implementing pollutant discharge permit management. Based on the different levels of pollutant generation, emissions, and environmental impact, pollutant discharge units are classified into three management forms: key management, simplified management, and registration management. Furthermore, it further standardizes the procedures for applying for and approving pollutant discharge permits, clarifies the approval department, application methods, material requirements, conditions for issuing pollutant discharge permits, and the specific content that should be recorded in the pollutant discharge permit. It also specifies the registration requirements for pollutant discharge registration units. At the same time, the terms clearly stipulate the different main responsibilities of the issuing enterprise and the pollutant discharge registration enterprise, and include both the pollutant discharge permit and pollutant discharge registration information in the law enforcement and supervision database to clear the "blind spots" in supervision. We not only need to achieve full coverage of enterprises, but also closely focus on the "key points" of issuing certificates, grasp the importance and priority, focus on the big and manage the small, and effectively highlight the key points and accurately target the objects.

The second is to strengthen requirements and ensure precise responsibility. Issuing a pollutant discharge permit is only obtaining a "pollutant discharge identity card", which is the beginning rather than the end of management. The pollutant discharge permit stipulates the requirements for enterprise pollutant emissions, forcing enterprises to operate environmental protection equipment, establish environmental management records, carry out emission monitoring, publicly disclose implementation status, promote green innovation, and ensure stable compliance. After obtaining the certificate, the enterprise not only needs to discharge pollutants with the certificate and according to the certificate, meet the pollutant discharge requirements stipulated in the pollutant discharge permit, but also truthfully report pollutant discharge behavior, discharge concentration, discharge amount, etc., and publicly disclose relevant pollutant discharge information on the national pollutant discharge permit platform. For pollution registration units, they should also operate and maintain pollution prevention and control facilities in accordance with laws, regulations, rules and other management requirements, construct standardized discharge outlets, implement the main responsibility of pollutant discharge, and control pollutant emissions. While further refining the main responsibility of polluting units, it also continuously promotes the refined management of enterprise environmental protection.

The third is to strengthen law enforcement and ensure precise supervision. The pollutant discharge permit is the main basis for ecological environment supervision of pollutant discharge units, and environmental law enforcement is an important means to promote the implementation of the main responsibility of pollutant discharge units. The "Management Measures" further strengthen the in-process and post supervision responsibilities of ecological environment authorities. Through strict law enforcement by the ecological environment department and supervision by the public, information technology and on-site verification work together to achieve precise supervision. On the one hand, the pollutant discharge permit integrates the environmental management requirements that enterprises should comply with in accordance with the law. It is a commitment letter and public notice board for enterprises' pollutant discharge behavior, the basis for the ecological environment regulatory department to carry out law enforcement and supervision, and the entry point for public supervision. Incorporating the enforcement inspection of pollutant discharge permits into the annual enforcement plan, making good use of permits, and utilizing list based enforcement methods can achieve comprehensive and systematic inspections, improving the accuracy and effectiveness of enforcement inspections. Promote polluting units to regularly and truthfully report their implementation reports, consciously accept supervision and inspection, and identify relevant illegal behaviors and clear clues through the verification of the implementation report content. On the other hand, the current environmental supervision and law enforcement measures are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and permit management has also become a booster for information-based law enforcement. The establishment of a national licensing platform has provided a basic guarantee for the informatization of environmental management, a clear path for the implementation of information disclosure, and an effective carrier for data interconnection. The application, acceptance, review, approval decision, change, extension, cancellation, revocation, and reissuance of pollutant discharge permits are all operated and completed on a unified national platform, with electronic workflow and open information throughout the entire process. This effectively achieves refined control over the entire process of "pollutant production facilities treatment facilities discharge outlets". The popularization of QR code identification for emission outlets has also provided great convenience for post certification supervision and management by environmental departments. The organic combination of on-site and online verification lays the foundation for "one certificate" management.

(Author: Du Yunhui, Director of the Technical Department of Pollutant Discharge Permit at the Environmental Engineering Assessment Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment)