Experts said more details of the clauses on environmental information are needed after the Beijing government made public a draft regulation on government information disclosure on Tuesday.
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Public comment on the draft will be collected through Aug 21.
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As requested last year in a notice issued by the State Council, eight kinds of information are listed as key ones the government should make public.
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As one of the eight items, environmental protection information includes information concerning the inspection, examination and approval of environmental issues, monitoring and major incidents.
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Meanwhile, the notice also details some information that should be included in each aspect.
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For example, monitoring information that should be made public includes a description of pollutants exceeding the standard, water quality of key rivers, air quality of key cities and pollution sources.
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Although the draft mentions the environmental protection information, it doesn't elaborate on the details.
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Residents can apply in writing for additional information with their identification cards.
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According to the draft, a reply should be made within 15 days and a delay of no more than 15 days can be made with the consent of a supervising official and notification to the applicants.
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Li Bo, secretary-general of Friends of Nature, an environmental NGO, said the draft is still far from meeting the public's needs.
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"Environmental information published nowadays is usually full of data the public cannot understand," Li said, "The public cannot know how they will be affected by the data."
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Li suggested the draft should clearly specify which media the government can use to publicize the information, especially the environmental impact assessment, which directly affects public health.
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"They could put it in a corner of a website, where people are less likely to see," Li said.
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"If people are not checking the official website every day, they may never know the information has been published."
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If the public is not aware of the data, they will not be able to voice opposition, and some projects with serious pollution may be launched, Li added.
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Fu Siming, a professor of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said environmental information is related to people's well being, and the clause on environmental information needs to be more specific.
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"An unspecific clause may offer the government an excuse to not make some information public," Fu said.
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Ma Jun, director of the Institute for Public and Environmental Affairs, said: "The clause is too simple. At least in Beijing, it may not be helpful in promoting the publicity of environmental information."Â