(Reporter: Gao Wei;Correspondents: Hu Xueli, Zhou Tingting) Recently, the list of negative environmental impactassessments and exemptions for construction projects, which was firstly launched by the Yichang Free Trade Zone in Hubei province, was formally implemented. The move shows that the construction projects included in the negative list will not be given environmental approval in principle and no environment approval is required for all the construction projects included in the exemption list.

　　In order to deepen the reform of the administrative examination and approval system, innovate the mode of government supervision and promote the facilitation of investment and trade in the Yichang Free Trade Zone, combined with the industrial orientation, environmental capacity and environmental restrictions of the free trade zone, the Administrative Committee of Yichang Free Trade Zone and Yichang Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, in accordance with the relevant laws, regulations and policies, formulated and implemented the Environmental Impact Assessment Negative List (Trial) of Yichang Free Trade Zone, China (Hubei) Free Trade Pilot Zone and the Environmental Impact Assessment Exemption List (Trial) of Yichang Free Trade Zone, China (Hubei) Free Trade Pilot Zone.

　　The construction projects listed in the negative list shall, in principle, should not be introduced by the merchant department and all functional departments shall not go through the approval procedures. The construction projects listed in the Exemption List do not need to go through the examination and approval of the environmental impact assessment and the acceptance procedure of the environmental protection facilities.

　　The construction projects listed in the Exemption List should comply with national and local environmental protection laws, regulations and policies during the process of design, construction and operation, and consciously accept the daily supervision and management of the administrative department of environmental protection. The construction projects, which have passed the EIA approval before the implementation of the Exemption List but have not yet completed and also meet the exemption management requirements, are no longer subject to environmental protection acceptance and are directly included in the scope of routine supervision and management.

　　In addition, for the general projects that are not included in the two lists, the examination and approval system or File systems should still be implemented according to the Classification Management List of Environmental Impact Assessment for Construction Projects.

　　According to the relevant person in charge of the Management Committee of Yichang Free Trade Zone, on the one hand, the implementation of the “exemption system” + “File systems” in EIA of the construction project is beneficial to reduce the government work process, strengthen the supervision in process and afterwards, and effectively reduce the enterprise construction cost; on the other hand, it can provide specific basis for Eco-priority and green development, and guide the industrial transformation and upgrading.

　　It is reported that the Negative List contains 7 industry categories and 31 project types; the Exemption List contains 9 industry categories and 38 project types.