SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has published a list of 82 industries that will need to obtain licenses before discharging pollutants or face punishments such as fines of up to 1 million yuan ($148,920.33).
The industries include feed processing, wine-manufacturing paper-making, as well as the steel and chemical sectors, according to the list published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on its website on Thursday.
All 82 industries will need to have licenses by 2020, it said. The licenses will specify items such as where and how many pollution discharge outlets industries can have, how they carry out pollutant discharge, and will set ceilings on the concentration and amount of pollutants.
Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 1 million yuan or see their operations suspended, it said.
More than 5,100 licenses have already been issued to companies in the thermal power and paper-making industries which were the first to be required to operate with permits.
China is fighting to clean up its skies and soil after decades of breakneck economic growth has resulted in environmental degradation.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Michael Perry)
.jpg?w=600)
