Reply of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Starting the Registration of Environmental Protection Engineers

It has been more than ten years since the start of the registered environmental engineer exam, and it is also recognized as the most valuable and difficult certificate in the environmental protection industry. When can registration be opened? It is also the most concerning issue for environmental engineers. During this year's two sessions, for the first time, a committee member made a suggestion to promote the registration of environmental engineers. Recently, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has also given a response!

Proposal: Promote the registration of environmental engineers

This year, during the National People's Political Consultative Conference and the National People's Political Consultative Conference, Li Shupeng, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Construction Engineering Repair Company, submitted two proposals, namely the Proposal on Establishing a Special Account for Environmental Protection Project Funds and the Proposal on Accelerating the Construction of Professional Qualifications in the Environmental Field.

It is understood that environmental protection projects have obvious public welfare characteristics, weak profitability, and high dependence on government funds. According to the statistics of the China Environmental Protection Industry Association, in 2021, out of 177 listed environmental protection companies in the A-share market, 130 companies increased their accounts receivable, accounting for 73.4%. The "Report on the Development of China's Environmental Protection Industry (2021)" shows that China's environmental protection enterprises have weak asset operation capabilities, prominent accounts receivable issues, and a common phenomenon of project arrears.

Li Shupeng believes that the main reason for this phenomenon is that the service targets of the environmental protection industry are mainly the government and state-owned enterprises. Due to local financial constraints, the internal approval process and implementation time of funds are relatively long, making payment difficult. In addition, due to the unequal market position at the time of contract signing, the general contractor needs to submit a performance guarantee to Party A, while Party A rarely provides a guarantee for project payment. At the same time, some local governments have cases where environmental protection funds are diverted for other projects. These all pose significant risks to the capital chain of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Therefore, Li Shupeng suggests establishing a special account for environmental protection engineering funds to ensure that the funds are used exclusively. Supervise through third-party institutions to improve payment efficiency and ensure the normal flow of funds for environmental protection enterprises; Ensure the effective implementation of special accounts for environmental protection engineering funds through legislation; Promote the demonstration text of general contracting contracts for environmental protection engineering projects.

In addition, talent development is an important support for industry development. In the environmental protection industry, registered environmental engineers are one of the 33 admission professional qualifications that are related to public interests or involve public safety and personal health. The professional qualification exam began in 2006, and according to statistics, about 10000 people have passed the exam. However, for over a decade, registration and continuing education have never started, and the practice system of registered engineers has not been effectively implemented in environmental engineering.

Li Shupeng believes that this situation has led to many professionals being in a wait-and-see state, and the number of registered environmental engineers has significantly decreased, which contradicts the reality of the country's high emphasis on ecological environment construction. To this end, Li Shupeng suggests developing and releasing a follow-up promotion plan for the registration of environmental engineers, in order to attract more outstanding talents to join China's environmental protection industry; Improve management documents, clarify the signature system for registered environmental engineers, carry out continuing education, and ensure that the knowledge system of practitioners is continuously updated; Increase the proportion of practical aspects in environmental education in higher education institutions.

Reply from the Ministry of Environment:

Under research and promotionYour proposal to accelerate the construction of professional qualifications in the environmental field will be handled by our department in conjunction with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. After careful study, the answer is as follows:

In order to strengthen the management of environmental protection professional engineering designers, ensure the quality of environmental protection projects, maintain social public interests and the safety of people's lives and property, in accordance with laws and regulations such as the Building Law of the People's Republic of China, the Regulations on the Administration of Survey and Design of Construction Projects, the Regulations on the Administration of Survey and Design Registered Engineers, and the Interim Provisions on the System of Registered Environmental Protection Engineers, China has established a management system for the professional qualifications of registered environmental protection engineers. According to the division of responsibilities, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment shall supervise and manage the registration and practice activities of registered environmental protection engineers, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security shall supervise and inspect the system of registered environmental protection engineers.

In response to the issue of initiating registration work, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development has recently held a coordination meeting with our department, and is currently studying and promoting it. Next, our department will actively cooperate with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development to initiate the registration of registered environmental engineers in accordance with the unified requirements of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development, orderly promote the implementation of the system, and assist in the healthy development of the environmental engineering talent team; At the same time, we will strengthen communication with the Ministry of Education, increase the proportion of practical aspects in environmental education in higher education institutions, and provide targeted courses based on the needs of pollution prevention and control. We will cultivate specialized environmental engineering talents with solid basic knowledge and extensive professional knowledge.