Attention, businesses! The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has revised and repealed these 31 normative documents.

Release Date:

2021-01-13

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently issued the “Decision on Abolishing and Amending Certain Regulations and Normative Documents of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment” (hereinafter referred to as the “Decision”), which abolishes two regulations, amends three regulations, and abolishes 26 normative documents.

As reforms to the ecological civilization system, the “delegation, regulation, and service” reform, and efforts to optimize the business environment continue to advance, promptly revising or abolishing outdated regulations and normative documents is just as important as enacting new ones. Reviewing and streamlining regulations and normative documents constitutes a foundational task for ecological and environmental authorities in exercising governance and administration in accordance with the law. Any regulatory documents that are inconsistent with higher-level laws or no longer suited to economic and social development and the ongoing process of ecological and environmental governance should be promptly repealed or amended.
In accordance with the spirit of relevant laws and documents, including the Regulations on the Procedures for Formulating Rules, the Regulations on Optimizing the Business Environment, the State Council’s Opinions on Establishing a Fair Competition Review System in the Construction of the Market System, and the General Office of the State Council’s Notice on Strengthening the Formulation and Supervisory Management of Administrative Regulatory Documents, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has decided to repeal or amend certain rules and normative documents.
It is worth noting that the 26 normative documents being repealed span a wide time period, ranging from 1996 to 2016. Among them, the “Notice on Strengthening Pollution Prevention and Control of Sludge from Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants” (Huan Ban [2010] No. 157) has been revoked. This document previously stipulated that if a wastewater treatment plant transports sludge off‑site for the purpose of storage—i.e., without treatment or disposal—it must dewater the sludge to a moisture content of no more than 50%.
Specifically, which documents will be repealed or amended?