SEPA Penalizes Environmental Impact Assessment Agency at Beijing University

The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) ordered an environmental impact assessment (EIA) center at Beijing University to stop performing assessments in late October and to reform its operations within three months, according to an October 24 press release on the SEPA Web site and an October 27 China Daily article. SEPA made the announcement after an investigation revealed that the Beijing University EIA center misreported information or failed to include relevant information in EIA documents for three projects. The Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau had found that the EIA center failed to uphold EIA standards, and reported the case to SEPA for investigation, according to the China Daily article. SEPA's moves are part of a greater effort to enforce China's environmental protection laws.