Safety and environmental protection can never be relaxed - Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will hold a discussion

In the “Responsible Care” promotion conference meeting, Cheng Siwei, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, spoke to reporters about the current status of safety and environmental protection of chemical companies.

The reporter asked that the original Ministry of Chemical Industry had been revoked for several years, and the Bureau of Chemical Engineering at the provincial and municipal levels had also been withdrawn. After chemical companies enter the market, environmental issues and safety accidents occur from time to time. Under the current industry management system, how do you think that the majority of chemical companies can develop in a safe and pollution-free environment?

Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei said that the key lies in the improvement of the company’s own consciousness. The original Ministry of Chemical Industry and the competent provincial and municipal chemical authorities were revoked, but it cannot be said that no one has managed this work. The state, provinces, cities and counties have established safety production supervision and management agencies and have corresponding laws and regulations. In this case, environmental and safety issues arise. First, it depends on whether the company complies with national laws and regulations. We cannot undermine the awareness in this area because the industry's competent authorities have changed during the reforms. To take a step back, if the former Ministry of Chemical Industry did not withdraw, or the department or bureau strictly manages, but the awareness of corporate environmental protection and safety responsibility is not strong, it is prone to problems or even accidents.

Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei particularly emphasized that the work of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association over the past few years has been very successful. The association should play a role in this aspect. Moreover, the association is fully capable of supervising and guiding environmental protection and safety. Although the Association does not have government functions, it is an expert in the production and operation of the chemical industry. This is an invaluable resource. There are many promising opportunities for environmental and safety production. Of course, chemical companies should strictly discipline themselves. Because any company is a relatively independent production and business entity, all measures and strengths of external supervision must be implemented in the daily work of the company. Enterprises that lack self-discipline will inevitably lack the best performance in environmental and safety work.

When asked by reporters, the chemical industry is the basic industry of the national economy and it is also a big energy consumer. When you can put forward some suggestions and requirements for the chemical industry, Vice Chairman Cheng Siwei said that in the course of the development of the national economy, energy consumption has grown too fast. The oil and steel sector accounts for 20%, which is incompatible with GDP growth. The excessive consumption of energy will inevitably cause considerable environmental pressure and should arouse our great attention. In this regard, the country has introduced a series of guidelines and policies. Government departments and companies should implement them without compromise.