On November 28, the Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") were considered at the sixth meeting of the 13th Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Autonomous Region and will be formally implemented on January 1, 2019.

The Bill consists of 8 chapters and 93 articles, including general provisions, supervision and management, industrial, coal-fired and other highly polluting fuels pollution prevention and control, pollution prevention and control of motor vehicles, ships and non-road mobile machinery, dust pollution prevention and control, agricultural and other pollution prevention and control, legal liability and supplementary provisions.

The energy consumption structure in Guangxi is not balanced. It relies too much on high-polluting fuels such as coal, the price of natural gas is too high, and the construction of pipeline network is lagging behind, which can not meet the needs of sustainable development. Therefore, strict control of total coal consumption, elimination of backward production capacity and technological transformation of cleaner production of enterprises are the main focus of the regulations in the prevention and control of pollution from high-polluting fuels such as industry and coal combustion.

For this reason, on the one hand, the regulations stipulate that the competent departments of development and reform of the people's government of the autonomous region, together with the relevant departments of industry, information technology and environmental protection, shall formulate a total coal consumption control plan for the whole autonomous region in accordance with the requirements of economic and social development and the carrying capacity of regional environmental resources. The people's governments of cities and counties with districts shall, in accordance with the total coal consumption control plan of the whole autonomous region, formulate the total coal consumption control plan of their respective administrative regions and organize its implementation.

Rational planning and control of high-emission and high-pollution projects. Cleaner production audits shall be carried out in key industries such as iron and steel, petroleum, chemical industry, coal, power, non-ferrous metals, cement, flat glass and building ceramics according to law. Advanced cleaner production technologies, processes and equipment shall be adopted. High-emission and high-pollution projects in iron and steel, petroleum, chemical industry, non-ferrous metals, cement, flat glass, building ceramics and other industries in urban built-up areas should be gradually relocated, transformed or transformed or withdrawn.

On the other hand, the regulations require cleaner production in industrial projects and industrial parks, and stipulate that people's governments at or above the county level should take measures to encourage and support new industrial projects to give priority to the use of natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, electricity or other clean energy. New industrial parks should meet the requirements of circular economy and cleaner production, build central heating and gas supply facilities, and implement central heating and gas supply. The key industrial parks of the autonomous region should be reformed to gradually realize central heating and gas supply.