Gyeonggi-do Temporarily Exempts Self-Monitoring Obligation for Air Pollutant Emission Facilities

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi-do is easing the self-measurement obligation for businesses emitting air pollutants.

Under the current "Atmospheric Environment Conservation Act," businesses emitting air pollutants must regularly conduct self-measurements of pollutants such as chimney dust once per period ranging from a maximum of one week to a minimum of six months, depending on the scale of pollutant emissions (Types 1 to 5). The province expects that this measure will reduce the burden on approximately 20,000 businesses.

Gyeonggi-do announced on the 10th that the "Plan to Ease the Self-Measurement Obligation System for Air Pollutant Emission Businesses," proposed to the Ministry of Environment and the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee last April, recently passed the Ministry of Environment's Active Administrative Support Committee and will be temporarily implemented in the second half of this year.

The province stated that many businesses have faced difficulties fulfilling their obligations due to restrictions on measurement companies' activities amid the spread of COVID-19, making it hard to secure measurement companies in a timely manner. Therefore, it requested the government to amend the law and temporarily ease the system.

With this easing of measurement obligations, businesses that failed to conduct self-measurements in the first half of this year and Type 4 and 5 businesses as of the second half of last year will be granted a grace period for self-measurement obligations according to city and province standards.

Additionally, air pollutant emission businesses in the second half of this year will receive a 50% reduction in the number of self-measurements required. Type 1 businesses will reduce from 24 to 12 times, Type 2 from 12 to 6 times, Type 3 from 3 to 2 times, and Types 4 and 5 businesses that conducted self-measurements in the first half do not need to conduct them in the second half. However, this reduction applies only to general pollutants and excludes specific atmospheric hazardous substances such as heavy metals.

The grace period targets businesses that suffered direct damage such as sales decline due to COVID-19 as of the second half of this year, or those facing difficulties fulfilling obligations due to refusal of entry by measurement companies or supply-demand imbalance for self-measurements.

Businesses can submit documents proving the inability to fulfill obligations and a grace period application form to the provincial or city/county environmental department by next month. Based on the review, they may receive measures such as granting a grace period or adjusting the measurement cycle.

The province expects that 19,211 air pollutant emission businesses in the region will benefit from obligation grace or measurement cycle adjustments through this measure.

Kang Jung-ho, head of the Provincial Environmental Management Office, emphasized, "Through this temporary grace measure for the atmospheric self-measurement system, some companies can reduce related costs by up to tens of millions of won. Ultimately, we will do our best to simultaneously achieve two goals: alleviating the burden on air pollutant emission businesses in the province and environmental conservation through reasonable regulation."