Let’s discuss how each of us and our respective organizations conduct environmental assessments

We are a school; although a large amount of experimental wastewater is discharged into the sea, no one ever comes to address it. Although our school has a department specializing in environmental engineering, the management pays no attention at all to environmental protection

Given China’s national conditions, it’s not really surprising. O(∩_∩)O Hahaha~ I know a few people from the environmental protection agency; I told them to handle it themselves and put the official stamp on it

Based on my current work experience, it seems that **policies are very strict, becoming more rigorous and scientific with each passing year, but their implementation at the local level is not so good.** For example, when conducting environmental impact assessments, many pollution prevention measures must be mentioned, but it’s not our concern whether the project owner implements them or not. These days, people are afraid to take risks when doing things; they just focus on doing their own part and ignore everything else. For example, when I conducted environmental impact assessments for real estate projects in areas that did not have sewage treatment plants, I recommended the use of underground biochemical treatment systems to ensure that domestic wastewater was treated to meet the first-level standards set by the Comprehensive Wastewater Discharge Standards. Yet, the project owners usually only built ordinary septic tanks, arguing that if it’s acceptable in large cities, then why not in smaller areas as well? Large areas can be developed because there are sewage treatment plants. But those of us who conduct environmental impact assessments must propose such pollution control measures; otherwise it would be our responsibility. As for whether they implement them or not, that’s not our concern.

From my experience, larger projects or those approved by the province are likely to be handled more carefully, while smaller projects are treated more carelessly.

People known to environmental assessment agencies will take care of everything; otherwise, how would they get paid?

Environmental impact assessment is nothing but a procedural formality; for many projects, it can be carried out simply by paying money. Few projects are conducted properly, as only major projects, with sufficient funding, require actual data collection – it would be unreasonable to fabricate data without that. Small projects are all based on fabrication, with a lot of nonsense involved.

All the projects involved are approved by the province, and they are carried out by units with Class A qualifications.

When I was in school, I came across environmental impact assessment documents; they seemed like templates, with content that appeared empty and lacking in substance. After starting work, I held the same view: environmental protection cannot be ensured merely by having such assessments. Some of these documents are nothing more than formalities; it’s only when organizations take them seriously that real action is taken. Without investment, everyone will say that protecting the environment is definitely a good thing, but once it comes to actually installing environmental protection facilities, that’s where things stop. So **while bringing benefits to a community, think more about the difficulties faced by the company. http://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-417191-1-1.html This post was last edited by adou on 2009-3-17 12:48 ]

Environmental impact assessments are practically just a formality these days; there are few cases where they are truly implemented. Those who conduct such assessments can only rely on relevant standards, and they don’t hold much practical significance

Hehe, our company pays a design firm to handle the work, and then that design firm coordinates with an environmental assessment agency. As for the supervision agencies in China, hehe

Overall, environmental impact assessment is moving in a positive direction. Although there are various issues – such as a tendency to favor the project owners, after all it is they who pay for the services – the situation isn’t as bad as described. Generally, environmental assessment firms have certain standards when taking on projects; they won’t accept those that don’t meet those standards, as otherwise they would be working for free. No one would be willing to risk losing their qualifications just to get a project. With so many environmental assessment firms available these days, they compete with each other by lowering prices, which leads to reduced profits and a decline in the quality of some reports. In such an environment, in order to make a living, no one has any choice – after all, they can’t operate at a loss. As far as I know, principled issues still need to be upheld, and the necessary procedures must be followed, at least to make things appear legitimate on the surface. As for subsequent issues, environmental impact assessment is essentially a preliminary evaluation; it involves estimating the potential environmental impacts of a project’s construction and proposing corresponding preventive measures. As for the implementation of the subsequent measures, that is no longer the responsibility of the environmental impact assessment; after all, environmental impact assessments cannot solve all problems. There are also the final inspection and supervision by the environmental protection agency, and even government agencies cannot handle these matters. It is unreasonable to expect an environmental impact assessment firm, which is merely an enterprise or institution, to take care of them.

It’s a bit formalistic – giving gifts to environmental protection agencies during holidays, with authorities usually turning a blind eye

Environmental impact assessments have now become a formality; as long as connections exist, projects can proceed regardless of whether they meet the requirements of such assessments. The core issue lies in China’s system, which has given rise to a large number of corrupt officials

Here, the environmental impact assessment is funded by the company, which hires relevant authoritative agencies to carry out the assessment. This process relies merely on the information provided by the company, along with data analysis and estimations; in short, it doesn’t require much effort to complete. What’s important is that the environmental protection authorities at the provincial or municipal level where the company is located approve it. As for the environmental protection fees and pollution fees, aren’t they simply fixed amounts to be paid?

We first report to the Environmental Protection Agency here; once they give their approval, we then seek an environmental assessment firm to carry out the assessment. In this way, environmental impact assessment reports are generally approved; after all, the experts are from the environmental protection agency, so it’s easy for them to approve them