Hebei to give public a voice on new works

While protests against new industrial projects that could create pollution have taken place in many domestic cities recently, Hebei province is taking steps to keep the public better informed of such projects within its borders.

The province is drafting a law that will guarantee the public's right to get sufficient information about such projects and supervise their progress. It is expected that the law, the first of its kind in China, may be passed within the year.

Li Jingyun, a Ministry of Environmental Protection official, said at a seminar in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, on Tuesday that the public has shown growing enthusiasm for environmental protection, but the absence of a viable information-release system has created problems.