The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Wednesday, September 7, approved in the second reading the government bill No. 6477 about the National Register of emissions and transfer of pollutants.
This decision was supported by 228 people's deputies, 37 abstained.
The head of the political party Sluga Narodu Olena Shulyak commented on the praise of the draft law.
"This draft law is particularly relevant now, because russian armed aggression is causing devastating damage to the environment. Shelling of chemical plants, burned-out forests — the number of ecocides is increasing every day. This information will be collected in one center — the National Register. It will become the only state information system of data on emissions and transfer of pollutants, and the public will have convenient access to environmental information," she explained.
Also, according to her, analysis and tracking of information about the pollution of territories will allow to determine priorities for reduction and elimination of potentially the most harmful emissions.
In addition, the creation of such a register is one of Ukraine's international obligations.
Back in 2016, Ukraine ratified the Kyiv Protocol of the Aarhus Convention, confirming its readiness to conduct its environmental policy openly, interact with citizens and involve them in solving environmental issues. With the adoption of the bill, our state will be able to fulfill this condition and fully implement the Protocol on pollutant release and transfer registers.
“Despite the war, we must fulfill our European integration obligations. The approval of the bills once again confirms the seriousness of Ukraine's intentions to become part of the European Union,” said the Minister of environmental protection and natural resources Ruslan Strilets.
What is bill No. 6477 about
Target: introduction of legal and organizational foundations for the creation and operation of a national register of emissions and transfers of pollutants and the creation of a single unified electronic system for access to information on the state of the environment for authorities. Every citizen will also be given access to such information.
Currently, there is no national PRTR in Ukraine containing data on releases and transfers of pollutants, which makes it difficult for the public to access such data and negatively affects the protection of the environment, which makes it impossible to analyze such information in a timely manner, prevent negative consequences and monitor the formation of emissions.
The explanatory note to the draft law states that the introduction of a national PRTR will contribute to the implementation by the authorized body of the state environmental policy to control emissions and transfer of pollutants and will provide an effective tool for making better management decisions in the field of environmental protection.
"The information available in it will allow industrial enterprises to compare their environmental activities with others, to choose and implement the best global practices for reducing emissions, thus saving financial resources," said Taras Melnichuk, government representative in the Verkhovna Rada, commented on the document.
The main provisions of the bill No. 6477
- The draft law establishes the legal and organizational framework for the creation and operation of a national PRTR.
- Creation and implementation of a national PRTR, adapted to national needs, will help the state to track the formation, release and transport of pollutants in time and space; analyze emission reductions and prioritize the reduction and elimination of the most potentially harmful emissions.
- A national PRTR will prevent pollution and reduce the burden of monitoring and control activities. Its data will be used in human health and environmental risk assessment as input to dispersion models in emission and subsequent pollution modeling.
- The presence of such a register will contribute to the reduction of emissions in many sectors of the economy. The dissemination of relevant information will allow industrial enterprises to compare their environmental activities with others, to select and implement the best global practices for reducing emissions, thus saving financial resources.
- The national PRTR will promote the comparability of internationally compatible data and the conscientious fulfillment by Ukraine of international obligations.
As EcoPolitic reported earlier, July 18 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved on first reading Government Bill No. 6477.
On August 11, the Committee on environmental policy and nature management recommended the Verkhovna Rada to adopt it on second reading and as a whole.
