Kazakhstan mulls 'polluter pays' principle

AKIPRESS.COM - The first session of the public council under the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan on discussion of the draft of a new environmental code was held today in the city of Nur-Sultan, the Ministry reported.
The new environmental code implies refusal of a total environmental regulation of enterprises, according to Vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Akhmetzhan Primkulov.
The new environmental code obliges to comply with the "polluter pays" principle. This is a withdrawal from total environmental regulation. The draft suggests to focus on large contaminating plants rather than regulation of a large number of natural resource users. The draft proposes to precisely determine this category of plants to cover all largest polluters.
Today, the procedure of assessment of the influence to the environment should be undergone by all plants regardless of the level of affect on the environment. But this approach is believed to be less effective and inappropriate. Therefore, the new environmental code offers only really environmentally dangerous objects to pass this procedure.
The draft of the new code will be submitted for consideration of the Parliament in December.