Regulations on the Functions, Internal Institutions and Staffing of Huaihua Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau

Article 1 The Regulations on the Functions, Internal Institutions and Staffing of Huaihua Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau (“the Regulations” hereinafter) is formulated as per the Notice of the General Office of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and General Office of the People’s Government of Hunan Province on Issuing the Huaihua Institutional Reform Plan (X.B. [2018] No. 65).

Article 2 Huaihua Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau (“the Bureau” hereinafter) is a director-level department of the People’s Government of Huaihua City.

Article 3 The Bureau implements the guidelines, policies, decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee as well as the plans and requirements of the provincial and municipal Party committees on environmental protection. The Bureau upholds and strengthens the centralized and unified leadership of the Party over environmental protection during its duty performance. Its main responsibilities are as follows:

i. The Bureau shall implement the basic environment system of the State. It shall work with relevant departments to develop and adopt policies and plans on environment, and draft relevant local regulations and rules of the municipal government on environment. It shall also prepare and supervise the implementation of environmental plans and water function zoning for key areas, basins and drinking water sources in conjunction with relevant departments.

ii. The Bureau shall undertake the overall planning, coordination, supervision and management of major environmental issues. It shall take the lead in coordinating the investigation and handling of major and serious environmental pollution and ecological damages; guide and coordinate emergency response and early warning for major and serious environmental accidents; take the lead in guiding and adopting the compensation system for environmental damage; and settle cross-regional environmental pollution disputes in a well-coordinated manner. It shall also coordinate environmental protection in key areas and basins.

iii. The Bureau shall supervise and manage the implementation of emission reduction targets. It shall formulate rules on the control of total pollutant discharge and pollutant discharge permit, and supervise their adoption; determine the assimilative capacity of the atmosphere and water; propose the pollutants subject to total discharge control and control indicators; supervise and inspect the completion of pollutant discharge reduction tasks in local places; and put in place the accountability system for environmental protection targets.

iv. The Bureau shall give suggestions on the scale and direction of environmental fixed asset investment, as well as the allocation of special funds of the central government managed by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and provincial and municipal fiscal funds; review and approve planned environmental fixed asset investment projects and those included in the annual plan as authorized; and cooperate with relevant departments in relevant organization, implementation and supervision work. It shall also guide and advance the development of circular economy and environmental protection industry.

v. The Bureau shall undertake the supervision and management of environmental pollution control. It shall develop rules on the prevention and management of air, water, soil, noise, light, odor, solid waste, waste chemical and motor vehicle pollution, and supervise their implementation. It shall work with relevant departments to supervise and manage the environmental protection of drinking water sources, organize and guide the comprehensive improvement of urban and rural environment, and supervise and guide the control of agricultural pollution from non-point sources. It shall also supervise and guide regional atmospheric environmental protection, and organize and adopt the joint prevention and control mechanism for regional air pollution.

vi. The Bureau shall guide, coordinate and supervise ecological protection and restoration. It shall organize the preparation of ecological protection plans, and oversee the development and utilization of natural resources that have an impact on the environment, important environment improvement work and ecological restoration. It shall organize the formulation of the environmental supervision regulations for nature reserves and have oversight of relevant law enforcement. It shall supervise wildlife and wetland protection, as well as desertification prevention and control. It shall guide, coordinate and oversee rural environmental protection efforts, supervise biotechnological environmental safety, and lead work on biological species (including genetic resources). It shall also organize and coordinate biodiversity protection efforts, and participate in ecological protection compensation work.

vii. The Bureau shall have oversight of nuclear and radiation safety. It shall enforce national policies, plans and standards on nuclear and radiation safety; take the lead in work related to the coordination mechanism for nuclear safety; handle nuclear emergencies; and deal with emergencies in radiation environment. It shall supervise and manage the safety of nuclear facilities and radioactive sources, nuclear facilities, application of nuclear technologies, electromagnetic radiation, and pollution control in the development and utilization of radioactive mineral resources. It shall also have oversight of the design, production, installation and nondestructive testing of nuclear material control and civil nuclear safety equipment.

viii. The Bureau shall be responsible for the regulation of environment access. Entrusted by the People’s Government of Huaihua City, it shall assess the impacts of major economic and technological policies, development plans and major economic development plans on environment; review and approve the environmental impact assessment documents for major development and construction areas, plans and projects; and draw up and adopt the environment access list.

ix. The Bureau shall be responsible for environment monitoring. It shall supervise the implementation of environment monitoring rules and specifications, and develop relevant standards; work with departments concerned to make unified plans for the establishment of environment quality monitoring sites, and carry out environment quality monitoring, pollution source supervision and monitoring, greenhouse gas emission reduction monitoring, and emergency monitoring. It shall conduct survey, evaluation, early warning and prediction of environment quality, and set up and manage the environment monitoring network and environment information network. It shall also establish and adopt the environment quality announcement system, and release comprehensive environment reports and major environment information.

x. The Bureau shall address climate change. It shall implement major strategies, plans and policies on tackling climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emission, and coordinate efforts to fulfill the duties of Huaihua City in national and provincial responses to climate change.

xi. The Bureau shall supervise environmental protection efforts. It shall coordinate the supervision of environmental protection efforts. It shall also supervise the implementation of the decisions and plans of CPC Central Committee and provincial Party Committee on environmental protection by Party committees and governments at all levels as well as relevant departments, as authorized by the Huaihua Municipal Party Committee and People’s Government of Huaihua City.

xii. The Bureau shall be responsible for environmental supervision law enforcement. It shall inspect environmental protection law enforcement; investigate and handle major environmental violations; and guide the training and business of comprehensive law enforcement personnel for environmental protection in Huaihua City.

xiii. The Bureau shall guide and coordinate environmental publicity and education efforts, implement the outline on environmental protection publicity and education, and encourage social organizations and the public to contribute to environmental protection. It shall also carry out environmental technological work, organize major scientific research and technical project demonstration on environment, and advance the building of the environmental technology management system.

xiv. The Bureau shall carry out foreign cooperation and exchanges on environment; give suggestions on relevant issues in foreign environmental cooperation; coordinate the fulfillment of international environmental agreements in Huaihua; and handle foreign-related environmental affairs.

xv. The Bureau shall complete other tasks assigned by the Huaihua Municipal Party Committee and People’s Government of Huaihua City.

xvi. Function transformation. The Bureau shall exercise its supervision and administrative law enforcement duties for the environment and pollutant discharge in urban and rural areas; earnestly fulfill its regulatory responsibilities; fully implement the action plans for the prevention and control of air, water and soil pollution; and drastically reduce the types and quantities of imported solid waste until no foreign garbage is imported. It shall also establish a government-led environment governance system, with enterprises as the main body and participation of social organizations and the public; adopt the strictest environmental protection system; strictly abide by the ecological protection boundaries and bottom line of environment quality; make progress in the critical battle against pollution; ensure ecological safety; and build a prosperous, beautiful, happy and new Huaihua City.

Article 4 The Bureau has the following internal institutions:

i. Office. It shall be responsible for the operation of the Bureau; undertake work related to information, security, confidentiality, public complaints and proposals, transparency in government affairs, and application of information technology; and establish and manage the environment information network. It shall also be responsible for the financial management, state-owned asset management and internal audit of the Bureau, its directly affiliated institutions and agencies.

ii. Policies & Standards Division. It shall draft local regulations and rules of the municipal government on environmental protection; conduct legality review of relevant regulatory documents; coordinate administrative review and response to administrative litigation; supervise environmental law enforcement; and manage environmental standards, benchmarks and technical specifications.

iii. Personnel Division. It shall be responsible for the officials, staffing and labor wages of the Bureau as well as its agencies and directly affiliated institutions; guide the training of environmental personnel; put leading officials in the environmental protection system under dual management; and undertake work related to the reform of the environmental administrative system. It shall also undertake management services for retirees.

iv. Technological Planning & Monitoring Division. It shall formulate ecological protection plans and assess the ecology across Huaihua City; undertake work related to environmental fixed asset investment and project management as authorized, take charge of environmental technological work, and guide and advance the development of circular economy and the environmental protection industry. It shall conduct environment monitoring, greenhouse gas emission reduction monitoring and emergency monitoring; conduct survey, evaluation, prediction and early warning of environment quality; and establish and manage the environment monitoring network. It shall also draw up environmental policies and plans; coordinate and review special environmental plans; collect environment data, conduct pollution source census and analyze environment situation; comprehensively coordinate and manage the control over total pollutant discharge; and work out the annual targets and assessment plans for environmental protection.

v. Atmospheric Environment & Climate Change Response Division. It shall supervise and manage the prevention and control of air, noise, light, fossil energy and other pollution; set up an assessment system for the implementation of goals for improving the quality of the atmospheric environment in each region; formulate policies and measures to deal with heavily polluted weather; and coordinate efforts to prevent and control pollution from non-point sources. It shall address climate change. It shall also comprehensively analyze the impact of climate change on economic and social development; coordinate efforts to fulfill the duties of Huaihua City in national and provincial responses to climate change; and carry out work related to the clean development mechanism.

vi. Water Environment Division. It shall supervise and manage the surface water environment in Huaihua; formulate and oversee the adoption of environmental plans for key basins; establish and implement the assessment system for the quality of the cross section of cross-border water bodies; regulate the environmental protection of drinking water sources; and guide the layout and management of pollution discharge outlets of rivers.

vii. Division of Nuclear, Radioactive Solid Wastes & Chemicals in Soil Environment. It shall regulate the prevention and control of soil and groundwater pollution, as well as environmental protection in Huaihua; organize and guide environmental protection in rural areas; and supervise and guide the control of agricultural pollution from non-point sources. It shall regulate the prevention and control of solid wastes, waste chemicals, heavy metal and other pollution, and undertake the application for hazardous waste business permit and solid waste transfer permit, as well as the implementation of environmental management systems such as environmental management registration for new chemical substances. It shall enforce laws, regulations and policies on nuclear and radiation safety; undertake work related to the coordination mechanism for nuclear safety work; organize radiation environment monitoring; handle nuclear and radiation emergencies; and undertake the regulation of radioactive waste treatment and disposal facilities, nuclear facility decommissioning projects, nuclear technology utilization projects, uranium (thorite) mine and mines associated with natural radioactivity, electromagnetic radiation devices and facilities, nuclear safety, radiation safety and radiation environment protection in the transportation of radioactive materials, and control of radioactive pollution. It shall have oversight of nature reserves and ecological protection boundaries. It shall also protect biodiversity and biological genetic resources, and manage biosecurity.

viii. Environmental Impact Assessment & Emission Management Division (Administrative Review & Approval Service Division). It shall assess the impacts of plans, policies and projects on environment; comprehensively coordinate and manage pollutant discharge permits; formulate the environment access list and organize its implementation. It shall also handle environmental matters subject to municipal administrative review and approval as authorized in a centralized way.

Party Committee. It shall be responsible for work related to the Party and the people in the Bureau and its directly affiliated institutions.

Article 5 The Bureau has 29 administrative budgeted posts. Specifically, it has one post for director, three posts for deputy directors, and one post for chief engineer (temporary). It has nine posts for section-level leaders (including one full-time deputy secretary of the Party Committee) and four posts for deputy-section-level leaders.

The Bureau has one fully budgeted post for logistics services, for which there shall be no new employees.

Article 6 The establishment, duties and staffing of the agencies, directly affiliated institutions and public institutions of the Bureau shall be otherwise stipulated.

Article 7 The Regulations shall be interpreted by the Huaihua Municipal Party Committee and adjusted by the Huaihua Municipal Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform according to prescribed procedures.

Article 8 The Regulations shall take effect upon its issuance.