Congress urged to amend environmental law

Increasingly activist senior environmental official Pan Yue has urged the Chinese legislature to step up its efforts against pollution by amending the 17-year-old environmental law.

“The government's refusal or failure to fulfill environmental responsibilities has seriously set back China's environmental protection efforts,” he said.

The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), of which Yue is deputy director, finds it difficult to restrict government actions because of the outdated law's limited focus on the actions of citizens and organizations.