China mulls to impose penalties for pollution

China's legislature today reviewed a draft amendment to its marine protection law, proposing to slap severe penalties for pollution.
An amendment of the draft Marine Environment Protection Law submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) adds provisions on marine ecological compensation and changes some articles that must be compatible with the new Environmental Protection Law, which took effect last year, the NPC Environment and Resources Protection Committee said in a statement.
Minister of Land and Resources Jiang Daming said at the opening meeting that the law enhances penalties for actions that cause marine environment pollution by eliminating the fine's upper limit of 300,000 yuan (USD 44,840) and imposing fines of up to 20 to 30 per cent of direct losses caused by the pollution.

The amended law would impose restrictions on development in sea areas that have not met the target for environmental protection or whose major pollutant discharge has surpassed the standard amount, Jiang said.
The Marine Environment Protection Law was enacted in 1982 and comprehensively revised in 1999.