“Illegal pollutant discharges should be severely punished by law, especially those causing major production accidents," Premier Li Keqiang said at the State Council executive meeting on Dec 9.

The draft of regulation on management of pollution discharge permits was passed at the meeting, and will implement classified management on polluters according to the amount of pollutants produced and discharged, as well as the impact on the environment. It also urged standardization of approval procedures for pollutant discharge permits.

To implement a pollution permit system is not just a matter of issuing permits, nor simple punishment, the Premier said, adding it is necessary to strengthen the commitment systems of enterprises and conduct supervision during and after the event.

The regulation clarifies polluters shall keep a record of environmental management and make discharge information public, and continuous penalties on a daily basis such as suspension of production and business rectification should be taken to raise the cost of illegal acts, Premier Li said.