Chongqing Green Volunteers' League, a Chongqing-based non-governmental organization, has submitted an application of administrative reconsideration in which it criticizes China's Ministry of Environmental Protection for its improper settlement of the Jingshajiang River Hydropower Projects.
This is noted by local media reports to be the first administrative reconsideration application filed by an NGO in China.
On June 11, MEP halted the Huadian Ludila Hydropower Plant and Huaneng Longkaikou Hydropower Plant projects which were being built at the middle reach of the Jingshajiang River without undergoing environmental reviews. MEP asked the units to stop the construction of the main dam of their projects. CGVL said that MEP's order is good for reducing the negative impact that the hydropower projects may impose on the local ecology, but went against China's administrative penalty law and was an illegal environmental practice.
CGVL also believed that MEP had not given much consideration to the impact on flood control, soil erosion, and geological disasters control as a result of halting the projects. Furthermore, it did not have a proper coordination and supervision mechanism and did not take sufficient measure to deal with such issues.
In the application filed to the National Development and Reform Commission, CGVL requested NDRC to cancel a reply that allowed the companies to continue with their preparatory work and ordered them to stop all construction work on the Liyuan, Ahai, Longkaikou, and Ludila hydropower plants.
It is learned that both MEP and NRDC have received the application of administrative reconsideration and according to the relevant rules, the administrative reconsideration department shall begin an inspection within five days after receiving the application and notify the applicant as to whether its application is acceptable or not.
Chongqing Green Volunteers' League was set up in 1995 after being registered with Chongqing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau.
