By Paul Davies and Andrew Westgate

China’s State Council released its “Plan for Controlling the Implementation of the Pollution Discharge Permit System,” (the Plan), which establishes guidelines and policy goals for the pollution permitting system being designed and implemented by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), on November 21, 2016. The permits will set specific limits on the amount and concentration of each pollutant that may be emitted, and companies without a license will be forbidden to discharge any pollutants. However, the scope of pollutants that will be covered by the permit system is not yet clear, and some reports indicate that heavy metals and certain other toxic compounds will not be covered.