Agencies may be held responsible

Environmental impact assessment agencies and environmental monitoring agencies may be held jointly liable with polluting enterprises if assessment and monitoring reports provided by the agencies are found to be forged, according to a draft amendment to the Environmental Protection Law.

Experts expect the clause to result in better regulation of the environmental impact assessment market.

"The market is a little messy, with irresponsible data emerging in many environmental impact assessment reports," said Zhai Yong, head of the law chamber of the National People's Congress Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee.