Pollution control plan to slash PM2.5

Reducing coal consumption, utilizing low-sulfur fuel at heart of program

Hebei and Shandong provinces and the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin will cut their combined coal consumption by 83 million metric tons by the end of 2017, according to a new air-pollution control plan.

The plan, released by the Environmental Protection Ministry on its official website on Monday, sets targets for six municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.