Deputy minister will again oversee impact assessments

The deputy minister of environmental protection will again take charge of environmental impact assessments, returning to a position he held 10 years ago and raising expectations he will once more implement effective steps to control polluting projects.

Pan Yue, 55, who has been deputy minister of environmental protection for 12 years, will oversee work related to the assessments. It is his second time in the position, in an adjustment of the ministry's leaders, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Tuesday.

There was no official announcement or confirmation from the ministry on Tuesday, but two sources within the ministry confirmed the change for China Daily.