To further implement and enhance the main responsibility of the local governments in environmental protection and improve the air quality of the regional environment, the municipal government has issued Yichang Air Pollution Control Reward and Punishment Assessment Interim Regulations (IR).

The IR includes 9 items. With the PM10 and the PM2.5 as the assess indexes, the regulations will be implemented based on the automatic air  monitoring data confirmed by the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, which are collected from those urban districts, counties and cities under Yichang’s jurisdiction, aiming at the “annual target completion” and “the ambient air quality improvement year by year”.

The municipal government will provisionally award 300000 yuan to those urban districts, counties and cities for every one microgram PM10 that has been reduced more than the air pollution control target of the year, and 150000 yuan for every one microgram PM10 that has been reduced more than the average concentrations of PM10 in the air of the previous year. The two make up the actual amount of the reward or punishment assessment with PM10 as the indicator. Meanwhile, 150000 yuan will be awarded to those urban districts, counties and cities for every one microgram reduced more than the average concentrations of PM2.5 in the air of the previous year. These rewards make up the total bonus in the air pollution control for the previous units mentioned above. On the contrary, those urban districts, counties and cities will be fined for their poor performance in air pollution control. The fines collected will be brought into the budget management by the municipal finance authority and used with priority given to urban district air pollution control.

The regulations will be piloted from January 1st, 2016.   (Reporter: Li Jing Correspondent: Li Yu)