XN000022-1982-06-11 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 1982

AIR POLLUTION CONTROL BILL 1982

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ANOTHER MAJOR STEP WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY IN THE BATTLE AGAINST TION IN HONG KONG.

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL THIS WEEK APPROVED THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL BILL 1982, IT WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NEXT WEDNESDAY.

THIS IS THE THIRD OF A SERIES OF MAJOR BILLS COVERING THE PROTECTION OF HONG KONG'S ENVIRONMENT. THE WASTE DISPOSAL ORDINANCE AND THE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE, COVERING SOLID WASTE AND WATER POLLUTION RESPECTIVELY, WERE ENACTED IN 1980. A FOURTH PIECE OF DRAFT LEGISLATION, TO CONTROL NOISE, IS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF DRAFTING. ONCE ALL FOUR ARE IN PLACE, HONG KONG WILL CENEFIT FROM A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF CONTROLS COMPARABLE TO THOSE EXISTING IN ANY TERRITORY WORLDWIDE.

THE NEW BILL WILL REPLACE THE OLD CLEAN AIR ORDINANCE PASSED IN 1959, WHICH COVERED ONLY THE EMISSION OF SMOKE AND GRIT. IN

ECENT YEARS THE DYNAMIC GROWTH AND DIVERSIFICATION OF HONG KONG'S INDUSTRY HAS LED TO THE PRODUCTION OF A GREATER VARIETY OF AIR POLLUTANTS WHICH NEED TO BE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL.

THE APPROACH OF THE NEW BILL IS TWO-FOLD.

FIRST, IT CONTAINS EMERGENCY +ABATEMENT NOTICE+ PROCEDURES CIMILAR TO THOSE IN THE OLD CLEAN AIR ORDINANCE BUT WIDENED TO COVER ALL AIR POLLUTANTS. THESE WILL GIVE THE BILL'S CONTROL AUTHORITY, THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, A SPEEDIER AND MORE EFFECTIVE CAPABILITY TO HANDLE SERIOUS AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS WHICH AFFECT AVIATION SAFETY OR ENDANGER PUBLIC HEALTH,

THE

SECOND AND REPRESENTING AN ENTIRELY NEW CONCEPT FOR HONG KONG, IS THE BILL'S SCHEME FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING. BASIS OF THIS IS A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH WHICH SEEKS TO BALANCE THE EMISSION OF POLLUTANTS INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE AGAINST THE CAPABILITY OF THAT ATMOSPHERE TO ABSORB THEM WHILE CONTINUING TO SUSTAIN THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY.

THE SCHEME WILL INVOLVE THE DECLARATION OF AIR CONTROL ZONES, FOR WHICH AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES WILL BE SET. THE LATTER WILL REPRESENT THE AIR QUALITY WHICH THE CONTROL AUTHORITY WILL SEEK TO ACHIEVE. MAJOR POLLUTING ACTIVITIES WILL BE DECLARED SPECIFIED PROCESSES+ AND WILL BE SUBJECT TO DETAILED LICENSING CONDITIONS TO CONTROL THEIR EMISSIONS.

TO AVOID THE DANGER OF ECONOMIC DISLOCATION AND DISRUPTION OUR INDUSTRIES THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF THESE CONTROLS, MOST OF THE EXISTING EMITTERS IN THE SPECIFIED PROCESS CATEGORY WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR EXEMPTION FROM LICENSING. BUT THIS EXEMPTION WILL ONLY LAST AS LONG AS THE NATURE OF THE SPECIFIED PROCESS REMAINS UNCHANGED - AS SOON AS IT IS VARIED OR ENLARGED

BECOME SUBJECT TO THE SAME LICENSING ARRANGEMENTS AS WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL NEW SPECIFIED PROCESSES. AND ANY EXEMPTED

DERATOR CHOSE PROCESS CONSTITUTES A RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH WILL HAVE HIS EXEMPTION WITHDRAWN.