PRC Parliamentary Report: Local Gov Officials Don't Give A Damn About Anything But GDP Growth
Good thing the national government is so much more enlightened, huh?
(Reuters) - Local officials determined to make their economies bigger at any cost are ignoring Beijing's push to cut hazardous air pollution, opting instead to expand heavy industries and cut clean energy from the grid, a Chinese parliamentary report said.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, dispatched a team of inspectors to 10 cities and provinces from May to September to oversee the implementation of new pollution policies.
The team found some local officials continued to pursue GDP growth at the expense of the environment, according to details published on China's parliament website (www.npc.gov.cn). "Some local governments have not fulfilled their responsibilities to improve air quality," the report said. "In some locations, enforcement is not stringent or no punishment is imposed on violators."
The capital is braced for more heavy smog, although hundreds of industrial sites are being shut to ensure the air is cleaner during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing next week. China has issued a flurry of policy directives since Premier Li Keqiang launched a "war on pollution" earlier this year. It has also vowed to end a growth-at-all-costs economic model and pay more heed to the impact of industry on the environment.
EDIT
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/30/us-china-environment-idUSKBN0IJ0YV20141030?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews