According to the draft Law on Environmental Protection, those who discharge waste will be charged for environmental treatment costs

At a recent workshop organized by the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment and the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), Dr. Hoang Duong Tung from the Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment said the law still lacks data for strategic environmental assessment. It has no regulations or provisions requiring the application of information technology.

Regarding environmental impact assessments and environmental permits, he agrees that management based on environmental permits is consistent with international practice. However, according to the 2014 Law on Environmental Protection, permits such as exhaust discharge licenses and waste treatment licenses are still issued separately. Therefore, the draft needs to integrate these permits into one environmental permit to minimize complex administrative procedures for organizations and businesses.

According to Prof. Dr. Nguyen Trong Hieu, the preferential and support policies on environmental protection, the policy on environmental economic development are too general with no regulations on binding responsibilities of technological innovation organizations and businesses to promote the development of the environmental industry. The draft also needs to add Radiant and Solar Energies to Article 96, as well as the Carbon credit and Carbon Market to Article 97.

Mrs. Nguyen Thuy Khanh from the Green Innovation for Development Center (GreenID) proposed that the draft clarify specific regulations to exploit and develop the national environmental industry. In order to control and manage the environment, the draft law must bind organizations and units that invest in environmental production and treatment technologies. It also needs to add the role of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to inter-regional and provincial air monitoring; and strengthen economic tools to control emissions.

Thu Huong