Jiangsu will issue “death‑free passes,” ensuring that enterprises meeting the standards will never have to suspend or limit production, regardless of the circumstances.

　　“From an environmental protection perspective, we have been continuously reflecting on how to improve law enforcement,” said Wang Tianqi, Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Environmental Protection, at a dialogue between Jiangsu’s financial sector and environmental authorities held on the morning of October 10.
　　Faced with the new normal of stringent environmental regulations, how enterprises can transform and upgrade has become a pressing real-world challenge. At the same time, environmental regulators often find themselves under scrutiny for adopting a one-size-fits-all approach: if each company faces distinct issues, why are they all ordered to shut down at once?
　　At the dialogue, Wang Tianqi discussed and shared his perspectives—drawing on the environmental protection authorities’ standpoint—on the role of environmental agencies and enforcement issues. In his view, a one-size-fits-all approach is undesirable, and Jiangsu’s environmental protection authorities are actively exploring ways to prevent such uniform measures from being implemented.
　　According to the source, cities across Jiangsu Province are set to release this year’s winter–spring air‑quality improvement “exemption list.” In other words, once heavy‑pollution weather control measures are activated, enterprises that have consistently met environmental standards and demonstrated strong performance will hold a “get‑out‑of‑trouble” pass, exempt from production restrictions or shutdowns.
　　On the other hand, rewarding law-abiding enterprises does not signify a relaxation of environmental protection standards; Wang Tianqi also underscored the importance of rigorous and impartial law enforcement.
　　“If ten people all have appendicitis, and all have progressed to a very severe stage where conservative treatment is no longer an option, would you still opt for surgery? Once the knife is in, it can no longer be called ‘one-size-fits-all.’” Wang Tianqi put it vividly.
　　Criticism: “Out of fear of accountability, they’d rather err on the side of over‑closing than risk a leak.”
　　In fact, this is not the first time Wang Tianqi has addressed the issue of “one-size-fits-all” approaches.
　　At the fourth session of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Congress held on July 26, 2018, a special inquiry was conducted on the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy. Wang Tianqi attended the meeting and responded to the inquiries.
　　At the time, a provincial People’s Congress deputy sharply pointed out that, during environmental remediation efforts, some localities still resorted to one-size-fits-all approaches and oversimplified procedures—for example, in addressing livestock and poultry farms, they simply imposed bans on raising animals, ordered closures, or mandated demolition.
　　Wang Tianqi stated that their research also revealed instances of farm facilities within non‑prohibited breeding zones being forcibly demolished, with some towns even inappropriately proposing to become “pig‑free towns” or “chicken‑free towns.”
　　“Livestock and poultry farming is an integral part of agriculture and rural development. It’s hard to imagine a countryside without chickens, ducks, fish, or geese—would that still be a countryside? And if Lake Tai were to lose its ‘three whites’ and its pearls, would it still be Lake Tai?” Wang Tianqi said at the time.
　　In his view, some localities, situated in environmentally sensitive areas, have expanded the scope of no‑breeding zones. Yet others, seeking to sidestep environmental liability and avoid accountability, opt for over‑closure rather than under‑closure, resulting in a one‑size‑fits‑all approach.
　　On the eve of National Day, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Environmental Protection published nine guidelines for standardized livestock and poultry farming on its official WeChat account, outlining measures to reduce pollution from the sector and enhance the aesthetic appeal of rural areas.
　　At this “Golden Ring Dialogue,” Wang Tianqi further elaborated on the issue of pollution from livestock and poultry farming. He stated that a key provision in the newly issued regulations stipulates that, throughout the farming period, no facility may be shut down under any pretext.
　　“For example, if a pig farm is still within its production cycle, even if environmental regulations require it to shut down and undergo remediation, we won’t order an immediate closure. Instead, we’ll wait until the pigs have been sold before proceeding with the shutdown,” Wang Tianqi said. “This approach balances environmental improvement with the interests of local farmers.”
　　Additionally, according to Wang Tianqi, the cities across Jiangsu Province will soon publish their “exemption lists” for this winter and spring’s air-quality improvement efforts.
　　Under the Environmental Protection Law, if a region’s total pollutant emissions exceed the prescribed limits, production must be restricted or suspended. This is also one of the standard control measures adopted by local authorities during periods of severe air pollution. “However, for enterprises that have consistently met emission standards over the long term, we have taken the initiative this time to ensure they are not subject to such restrictions,” said Wang Tianqi.
　　This is what is known as the “exemption list.” Once the list is published, during periods of severe air pollution, the scenario in which an entire region is shut down may no longer occur.
　　Enforce the law impartially and voluntarily accept oversight from all quarters.
　　While emphasizing that policies must not be applied uniformly, Wang Tianqi also underscored the importance of impartial and rigorous law enforcement.
　　He stated that, for environmental protection authorities, enforcement is the mission and penalties are the means; “enforcement and penalties are also measures we must resort to—our last resort.”
　　“Although from a corporate perspective, environmental regulations may pose considerable challenges, from an environmental standpoint, any company that has been inspected and found to be in violation typically exhibits rather serious shortcomings. ‘It’s unheard of for a company with no issues to be subject to enforcement action,’ said Wang Tianqi.”
　　Over the past two years, under sustained stringent environmental regulations, a large number of enterprises in Jiangsu—particularly chemical firms—have been severely penalized for pollution violations.
　　For example, in April this year, the Guannan and Guanyun chemical industrial parks, located along the northern coast of Jiangsu Province, were ordered to shut down entirely after sustained exposure by China Central Television of their illegal discharge practices, and a comprehensive, “carpet‑style” environmental inspection was launched.
　　Is such a comprehensive shutdown tantamount to a “one-size-fits-all” approach? “It’s like if ten people all had appendicitis, and each had progressed to a very severe stage where conservative treatment was no longer an option—would you still refuse to perform surgery?” Wang Tianqi said. “If the knife is already in hand, it can’t be called a ‘one-size-fits-all’ measure; it’s dictated by the challenges businesses are facing.”
　　At the same time, he also stated that the environmental protection authorities have been continuously reflecting on how to improve law enforcement.
　　Wang Tianqi stated that, first, the environmental protection authorities will devote themselves to formulating regulations and strive to eliminate regulatory blind spots in the enforcement process, ensuring that both enforcers and those subject to enforcement clearly understand and are well-versed in the rules, thereby fostering compliance.
　　Secondly, law enforcement agencies will, in accordance with the rule of law, enforce the law rigorously and impartially, while proactively accepting oversight from all quarters. At the same time, they must refrain from arbitrary or heavy-handed enforcement and ensure that the exercise of power remains firmly within the bounds of the law.
　　In addition to law enforcement, providing services to businesses is also a key focus of environmental protection agencies.
　　Wang Tianqi stated that, as a government agency, they will strive to provide enterprises with original, practical environmental‑management technologies and work to dismantle price monopolies in the pollution‑control sector, among other measures.
　　In addition, we will fully discharge our duties to help enterprises mitigate potential legal and market risks arising from environmental factors, enhance industrial competitiveness, and promote the sound development of the real economy.

Source: Pesticide Express Information Network