U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
U.S.
and
China
to Partner for a Better Global Environment
Contact: Jennifer Wood, (202)
564-4355 / wood.jennifer@epa.gov
(Washington,
D.C.
-
April 7, 2006)
Marking a new era of global environmental cooperation, U.S. EPA Administrator
Stephen L. Johnson departs today on the first trip to
China
in seven years by an
EPA administrator. Johnson will meet with top Chinese environmental officials
to discuss opportunities for increased cooperation and to observe progress on
existing collaborative initiatives. He will visit the cities of
Beijing,
Lijiang and
Shanghai.
"Just as we live in a global economy, we also live in a global environment,''
Johnson said. "As major contributors to the global economy, the
U.S.
and
China
are vital to the health of the global environment.''
In
Beijing,
Johnson will meet with Minister Zhou Shengxian of
China's
State Environmental Protection Administration, and Deputy Director Pei Chenghu
of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau to highlight collaborative clean
air efforts, particularly for the 2008 Olympics.
China
has committed to have a Green Olympics by working to improve
Beijing
air quality, using recyclable materials, and building sustainable structures
that will have immediate commercial uses following the Olympics. Johnson and
Environment Minister Zhou will sign an agreement on hazardous waste management
that will
encourage cooperation in locating and disposing of polychlorinated biphenyls.
Programs will also be developed in
China
similar to
U.S.
programs to clean up and remediate large areas of contaminated land, and turn
them into commercially-viable new developments.
In
Lijiang,
Yunnan
Province, Johnson will visit one of two EPA-funded
pilot
projects that use cleaner, safer home cooking and heating practices. Almost
half of the world's population burns traditional fuels like firewood, coal and
crop residues indoors for home cooking and heating. The high levels of
pollutants in these indoor smoke result in increased disease and mortality. In
the
Haixi
Village
outside of Lijiang, Johnson will tour village homes and witness traditional and
improved cooking and heating technologies. One pilot project is being done by
The Nature Conservancy China Program in
Yunnan
Province
to reduce fuel wood use by 75 percent in the next 10 years, and use alternative
energy to meet the rural communities' energy needs. A second project in Guizhou
Province and implemented by the Institute for Environmental Health and Related
Product Safety of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention will test
a sustainable comprehensive approach to improving health through affordable,
reliable, clean, safe and efficient household energy use.
In
Shanghai,
with a population of more than 20 million, Johnson will attend several events
that demonstrate
China's
commitment to cooperation with the
United States
in promoting cleaner air. Johnson and Chinese officials will announce an air
quality forecasting and public notification system in
Shanghai
to be modeled on the AIRNow system successfully used in more than 300
U.S.
cities to help protect public health. On a tour of the Wai Gaiqiao coal-fired
power plant, Johnson will observe installed advanced scrubber technologies that
control for sulfur dioxide emissions that lead to acid rain, smog, and other
pollution. It is hoped this project will lead to similar ones across
China.
Johnson also will visit the port terminal in Wai Gaiqiao and meet with officials
from the Shanghai Municipal Port Administration Bureau and the
Port
of
Los Angeles
as they begin the next phase of a partnership supported by EPA to reduce air
pollution from port activities.
Additional information on the U.S. EPA's work to date with
China:
http://www.epa.gov/oia/airandclimate/byregion/chinaair.html
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