Main functions and responsibilities

1. To implement the national guidelines, policies, laws, rules and regulations related to environmental protection; to draw up the drafts of the relevant local rules and regulations, and policies in relation to environmental protection in the light of the actual circumstances in this Province, and organize and supervise the implementation of such rules and regulations, policies; on commission of the Provincial Government, to assess environmental impact of major economic and formulate technological policies, development plans; to formulate the development strategy for environmental protection; to organize formulation and supervision over the implementation of the pollution prevention and ecological prevention plans in key areas, drainage areas and regions designated by the Provincial Government; to organize the drawing up of the environmental function zoning.

2. To be responsible for formulation and organizing the implementation laws, regulations and administrative measures related to the prevention and control of pollution of air, water body, soil, noise, radiation, solid waste, toxic chemicals and motor vehicles exhaust; to formulate the plan for the total discharge of this province; to issue the license of importing refusal as raw material; and to register and manage toxic chemicals from abroad.

3. To supervise the exploitation and utilization activities of natural resources that have impact on the ecological environment, the major environmental protection construction and the rehabilitation work of ecological destruction; to supervise and inspect the environmental protection work of nature protection areas, scenic beauty areas and forest parks; to supervise and exam the bio-diversity protection, wild animals and plants protection and environmental protection work of wetland; to declare the new country-level nature sanctuaries in this province and to be responsible for declaration of the province-level nature sanctuaries to the Provincial Government and keep in record; to supervise and manage the province-level nature sanctuaries.

4. To direct and coordinate solving big environmental problems in this province; to investigate and handle the major environmental pollution accidents and ecological destruction accidents; to coordinate the inter-regional environment pollution disputes; to organize and coordinate pollution prevention in key areas, drainage areas and regions in the province; to be responsible for environmental supervision and administrative inspection of environmental protection; to organize the implementation of law enforcement inspection of environmental protection in the province.

5. To supervise the implementation of the national environmental quality and pollutant discharge norms; to formulate provincial environmental quality and pollutant discharge norms and release them in procedure stipulated by the country; to examine the contents related with environmental protection in the master city plan; to organize and compile quality report on provincial environment and release the environmental status bulletin; to participate in the compilation of the provincial sustainable development schema.

6. To formulate organize and implement various environmental management systems; to examine and approve according to country’s stipulation the environmental impact reports of development construction projects, to direct comprehensive ecological improvement and quantitative check-ups in urban and rural area; to supervise and manage ecological environmental protection in rural areas, and to direct the construction of the provincial ecological demonstration areas and ecological agriculture.

7. To organize science development, research and technology demonstration project on environmental protection; to manage the environmental management systems and environmental evidence authentication in the province; to build and organize environmental protection qualification authentication system; to direct and push forward the development of environment protection industry.

8. To be responsible for the work of monitoring, statistics and information of environment; to formulate the system and norms of environmental monitoring; to organize the establishment and management of the province-wide environmental monitoring network and environmental information network; to organize the monitoring of environmental quality and pollution sources.

9. To implement the national fundamental principles related to global environmental protection; to be responsible for international cooperation and exchange on environmental protection; to organize and coordinate the performance of the international environmental protection treaties in the province; to manage environmental control system and participate in the coordination of foreign economic cooperation and foreign investment projects; to be responsible for foreign-related environmental protection affairs as authorized by the Municipal Government.

10. To be responsible for the supervisory administration of the environmental radiation, radioactive wastes throughout the province; to participate in the emergency response to environmental radiation and nucleus accidents; to implement the uniform supervisory administration of the pollution prevention and control in the electromagnetism radiation, utilization of the nucleus technology and exploitation of radioactive mineral resources; to supervise and manage the nuclear material surveillance.

11. To organize, direct and coordinate the environmental protection education and propaganda; to promote the public and nongovernmental organizations’ participation in environmental protection

12. To take charge of structural establishment, personnel management in this bureau; in the light of the spirit of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee’s document [1999] 35, to help the local Chinese Communist Party Committee to manage leading members of cities’ environmental protection departments; to direct and handle the staff on active duty in the environmental protection system job title qualification evaluation, the educational training, and the spiritual civilization construction throughout the province.

13. To undertake other matters assigned by the Chinese Communist Party Hunan Committee and Provincial Government.