The Guangdong environmental authority has started to assign environmental impact assessments (EIA) on some chemical projects including PX (p-Xylene) and ethylene to lower levels from May amid concerns of possible pollution threats.
In an attempt to streamline operations, the Guangdong Department of Environmental Protection (GDEP) assigned EIA on projects, which, as the authorities put, have advanced production technology, improved environmental protection skills and controllable risks to city and county levels, such as the expansion and reconstruction projects of PX.
The GDEP has been in charge of assessing projects since the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) in March delegated the power of assessing projects including thermal power stations, national expressways and new construction of PX to lower levels.
"Delegating authority to low levels could improve the efficiency of EIA as local governments are more familiar with local projects, and those projects will start construction faster," Peng Yingdeng, a senior EIA engineer at a research institute of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, told the Global Times.
But due to limited powers, low-level environmental authorities tend to prioritize economic development, Peng said. Under this set-up, local governments will be lukewarm to EIA requirements and might even collude with construction companies to help them approve the EIA report, which would pose a pollution threat, especially for some chemical projects like the PX, Peng said.
PX, a flammable liquid, is an essential chemical in making polyester products. In April, six people were injured at a PX plant explosion in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province.
PX plants in several cities including Xiamen, Dalian and Maoming have been shut down since 2007 following protests, as residents felt the facilities would threaten the local environment.
"The EIA is the front door in construction, which will lead to serious environmental and social consequences if it fails to block potentially environmentally hazardous projects," said Zhao Zhangyuan, a professor at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.
Both Peng and Zhao said that the provincial government should keep its EIA approval power on major chemical projects that may be environmentally risky, and delegate authority to safer projects. The MEP had assigned EIA powers on 25 kinds of projects to low-level governments in 2013.
