久久久无码人妻精品无码_6080YYY午夜理论片中无码_性无码专区_无码人妻品一区二区三区精99

Oil spill aftermath tests the legal waters

Updated: 2011-09-01 11:08

By Li Jing (China Daily)

  Comments() Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按鈕 0

Oil spill aftermath tests the legal waters

Hundreds of scallops are dumped in Luanjiakou port, in Penglai, Shandong province, on Aug 25. Sea farmers say their livelihood is under threat following an oil spill in Bohai Bay. [Photo / Xinhua]

Oil spill aftermath tests the legal waters

Oil coats pooled water, sand and rocks on the shore at Changdao, a major fish farming island in Shandong province. A leak on an offshore oil platform was discovered in northern Bohai Bay on June 4; this photo was taken on July 8. Official statistics show that 5,500 sq km of the bay's surface have been contaminated.[Photo / China Daily]

 

Victims of marine pollution look to the courts for justice, reports Li Jing from Beijing.

When some of his sea cucumbers showed signs of distress in late June, Xun Shaobin did not expect that the majority of them would soon perish.

The 58-year-old sea farmer from Laoting county, Hebei province, cultivates 4.2 hectares of the marine animals.

"Some sea cucumbers began to turn a yellowish green from their normal black. So I went to other villagers to seek help, only to find out that they were facing the same problems," Xun said.

"We didn't know the cause at that time, nor did we know anything about the oil spills. In less than a month, about 60 percent of my sea cucumbers had died."

He estimates that he has lost about 1.2 million yuan ($188,000).

In a series of spills starting on June 4, oil from the Penglai 19-3 oilfield operated by ConocoPhillips China seeped into Bohai Bay, off the coast of Shandong province. The sheen reached coastal areas of Hebei and Liaoning provinces by late June.

Wednesday was the deadline to clean up the spill.

By last Thursday, official statistics showed that 5,500 square kilometers of Bohai Bay's surface had been contaminated, with 870 square km seriously polluted, meaning it is unfit for swimming or aquaculture.

Xun and more than 200 other Hebei sea farmers, who lost large amounts of scallops and sea cucumbers, have retained a law firm to sue ConocoPhillips China. Meanwhile, the State Oceanic Administration is preparing a separate lawsuit for ecological compensation on behalf of the country.

Though not optimistic about the results, legal experts hope the cases can become a landmark in pursuing environmental justice through the Chinese courts. They said the absence of an effective cleanup has indicated failure in the country's regulatory instruments in dealing with marine pollution cases.

"Obviously in the case of the Bohai oil spills, polluting companies are not deterred by the government's administrative power, which has always been a major force in tackling pollution problems in China," said Zhou Ke, a law professor at Beijing-based Renmin University of China.

Contained or not?

Ninety days since the leak started at an offshore oilfield in northern Bohai Bay, the country's maritime watchdog and the polluting companies still cannot agree on whether the spill has been fully contained.

The State Oceanic Administration said last Thursday that it had detected 16 leaks under Platform C of Penglai 19-3, still bubbling out oil and gas, while seepage at Platform B has continued.

The American operator, ConocoPhillips China, said on Wednesday evening that it had sealed all leaks. On Monday, it said it had cleaned up 99 percent of the oil-based drilling mud near Platform C.

The administration had no immediate response Wednesday.

They also disagree on the spills' ecological impact, with ConocoPhillips insisting no coastal areas have been polluted.

State-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp, which holds 51 percent of the joint venture with ConocoPhillips, has largely remained silent and has dodged public criticism.

Such discrepancies epitomize the prolonged wrangling between the maritime authority and powerful oil companies as the worst marine ecological accident in China unfolded over the past months.

Law professor Zhou said the ultimate reason behind the disputes lies in the fact that marine environmental protection is never listed as a priority in maritime development, at least in the legislative process, despite increased exploitation of marine resources over the past decade.

"When the Law on Islands Protection was drafted several years ago, some scholars proposed that environmental protection should be given a top priority in development of the uninhabited sea islands. Unfortunately, such a concept was never adopted," Zhou said.

One implication is that the marine environmental watchdog finds itself at a disadvantage when dealing with expensive industrial projects such as offshore oil drilling, he said.

No teeth, no muscle

The maritime authority itself cites the lack of stringent punishment as a reason that ConocoPhillips did not effectively mobilize a cleanup. The administration announced at its first briefing after the spills that the maximum penalty for marine pollution is 200,000 yuan ($31,350), according to the country's law.

An unnamed official from the administration said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on Aug 11: "The company is too well aware of Chinese laws and regulations under which it won't be severely punished for its inaction and coverup."

In some offshore projects, such as oil and gas exploration, the maritime authority also finds itself without the technical support it needs for proper oversight, according to Gao Deli, a professor at China University of Petroleum. "The oil drilling companies are actually the controllers of the cutting-edge technologies, so they usually have a stronger say than the supervising authority."

In China, marine environmental protection is overseen by a department under the State Oceanic Administration, which is not a ministerial-level government agency. As a result, the administration usually feels impotent in the face of other ministries or State-owned companies.

Meanwhile, several other government departments, such as the ministries of agriculture, transportation and environmental protection, as well as the navy, are also involved in managing the marine aquaculture maritime administration, coastal pollution prevention and marine surveillance.

The scattering of responsibilities among government agencies weakens overall management capability, experts said.

A month's delay

Although China has laws and regulations on marine environmental protection, they are still quite vague on the roles and obligations of different government bodies, according to Li Tao, an official from Fujian's provincial oceanic and fishing department.

"This usually results in slow responses when an emergency happens and in the failure to release information to the public," Li said.

Most public anger was directed at what people saw as ConocoPhillips' arrogance, but some environmentalists also faulted the State Oceanic Administration for hiding critical information from the public. It did not release any news about the spills until July 5, a month after the leak started.

"Even after that, the administration still failed to publish critical information that could help to prevent further economic losses for sea farmers - for instance, the type of crude oil produced at Penglai 19-3 and the route of ocean currents," said Wang Yamin, an associate professor in the Marine College at Shandong University.

The coastal areas along Bohai Bay are home to the country's most important fisheries. "If the sea farmers were informed of the oil spills, they could have made better preparation and even avoided some of the losses. Regretfully, they received no such warning at all," Wang said.

Wang said the available information on crude oil in Bohai Bay suggests it is high in acidity, which can severely damage scallops. And sea cucumbers are prone to diseases if the seawater has an abnormal concentration of an oily substance.

The evidence

Even with such scientific backing, Xun Shaobin and his fellow villagers still face considerable difficulties in gathering evidence and proving the cause of the damage when taking the polluters to court.

"The sea cucumbers dissolved into liquids very quickly after death, making it almost impossible to collect the proof of the damage caused by oil spills," Xun said. "I took some pictures, and hope they will be useful in court."

ConocoPhillips insists the leaked oil never reached the coast. The company has argued that among 86 samples taken along the northwest Bohai Bay shoreline, only two tested positive for traces of Penglai crude.

Calculating the damage poses another major challenge in the litigation process, legal experts said.

The Ministry of Agriculture has a regulation on how to compute losses in the fishing industry, which is feasible to calculate despite the complexity, Wang said. He estimated the total damage at about 1 billion yuan.

"Yet this is only a small part of the whole damage to the marine ecosystems and resources," he said. For other elements in the ecosystem - for instance, sea birds and the water - there is still no mature methodology for calculation in China.

Taking the chance

A similar case seeking ecological compensation in Bohai Bay in 2002 failed after a prolonged lawsuit. The court did not support the State Oceanic Administration when it claimed more than 100 million yuan in economic and environmental damage from a foreign oil tanker, which dumped a few hundred tons of crude oil into the Bohai Sea.

Nevertheless, resorting to legal solutions offers a last chance for victims of the oil spills, lawyers said. And the cases, if successful, could provide a landmark in tackling the country's rampant pollution with legal means.

"Extensive public pressure will offer a solid foundation for arriving at an impartial judgment in the court," said Zhou, from Renmin University. But he's not expecting a triumph.

"To call it a major victory, the oil spill cases will have to be able to break up the entrenched interests among government bodies and State-owned enterprises," Zhou said. "With protection from the government, some large companies can often be immune to punishment when causing severe pollution."

The lawsuits will also ask the court to rule without being influenced by any level of government, and for judicial officers to work diligently and creatively to make up for the imperfections in the environmental legal systems, he said.

"It remains a huge challenge to make the cases a real milestone, but such attempts will help to improve the country's judicial system in the pursuit of environmental justice," Zhou said.

久久久无码人妻精品无码_6080YYY午夜理论片中无码_性无码专区_无码人妻品一区二区三区精99

    久久国产精品视频在线观看| 17c国产在线| 中文字幕66页| 97超碰人人澡| www.污网站| 漂亮人妻被中出中文字幕| 夜夜爽久久精品91| 91淫黄看大片| 无码av天堂一区二区三区| 国产福利在线免费| www国产精品内射老熟女| 国产大尺度在线观看| 午夜免费精品视频| 鲁一鲁一鲁一鲁一色| 亚洲热在线视频| 性刺激的欧美三级视频| 免费在线观看亚洲视频| 福利在线小视频| 中文字幕国产免费| 激情视频综合网| www.99热这里只有精品| 国产在线拍揄自揄拍无码| 视频二区在线播放| 国产福利视频在线播放| cao在线观看| 最新av网址在线观看| 又色又爽又黄视频| 午夜在线观看av| 国产性生交xxxxx免费| 日韩a∨精品日韩在线观看| 成人在线免费高清视频| 日韩视频在线观看视频| 欧美男女交配视频| 国产熟人av一二三区| 日韩欧美精品在线观看视频| 黄色一级视频在线播放| 久艹在线免费观看| 国产91沈先生在线播放| av动漫在线免费观看| 日韩视频一二三| 亚洲色图都市激情| 91传媒免费视频| 国产免费内射又粗又爽密桃视频| 超碰成人在线免费观看| 国产欧美激情视频| 国产美女18xxxx免费视频| 国产一线二线三线在线观看| 欧美一级黄色片视频| 可以在线看的黄色网址| 乱子伦视频在线看| 亚洲一级片免费| 日本黄色福利视频| 波多野结衣在线免费观看| 国内av免费观看| 亚洲美女自拍偷拍| 免费极品av一视觉盛宴| 人妻av无码专区| 尤物av无码色av无码| 日本一本二本在线观看| 日本999视频| 午夜剧场在线免费观看| www.日本久久| 日韩专区第三页| 欧美一级视频免费看| 日韩av资源在线| 免费看污污网站| 在线能看的av网站| 欧洲美女和动交zoz0z| 中文精品无码中文字幕无码专区| 久久久久久免费看| 青青青在线播放| 亚洲怡红院在线| 国产手机视频在线观看| 成人免费视频91| 日韩在线第三页| aaaaaaaa毛片| 日本午夜激情视频| 亚洲 中文字幕 日韩 无码| 91pony九色| 国产美女在线一区| 五月天婷婷激情视频| 成人高清在线观看视频| 国产二区视频在线| 高清一区在线观看| 久久国产精品免费观看| 精品人妻一区二区三区四区在线| 岛国av在线免费| www.av91| 欧美精品久久久久久久久25p| 欧美日韩亚洲国产成人| 久草热视频在线观看| 国产福利在线免费| 99热久久这里只有精品| 超碰在线97免费| 欧美日韩dvd| 天天爽天天爽夜夜爽| 黄色一级大片免费| 波多结衣在线观看| 久久手机在线视频| av中文字幕网址| 91专区在线观看| 婷婷激情小说网| 亚洲欧洲日产国码无码久久99| www.色欧美| 免费黄色福利视频| 懂色av一区二区三区四区五区| 日韩a在线播放| 日韩人妻一区二区三区蜜桃视频| 一本大道熟女人妻中文字幕在线 | 亚洲人精品午夜射精日韩| www.亚洲高清| 日韩国产一级片| 国产黑丝在线视频| 亚洲免费av一区二区三区| 免费看欧美黑人毛片| 91小视频在线播放| 青青在线视频免费| 激情伊人五月天| 亚洲成人动漫在线| 午夜免费看毛片| 999香蕉视频| 免费看欧美黑人毛片| 黄色一级片免费播放| 中文字幕第80页| 伊人成色综合网| 国产一级黄色录像片| 黑森林精品导航| 国产精品无码av在线播放| 日本福利视频导航| 污视频网站观看| 手机看片福利盒子久久| 黄色网页免费在线观看| 免费网站在线观看视频 | 久草青青在线观看| 精品国产一区二区三区无码| 五月六月丁香婷婷| 五月婷婷激情久久| 亚洲精品高清无码视频| 亚洲国产精品久久久久爰色欲| 美女扒开大腿让男人桶| 视色,视色影院,视色影库,视色网| 不用播放器的免费av| 四季av一区二区| 精品免费国产一区二区| 欧美网站免费观看| 亚洲熟妇av日韩熟妇在线| 97超碰在线人人| h无码动漫在线观看| 欧美性猛交内射兽交老熟妇| 中国 免费 av| 日韩中文在线字幕| dy888午夜| 97在线免费视频观看| 欧美另类videosbestsex日本| 大地资源第二页在线观看高清版| 五月天婷婷在线观看视频| 欧美视频国产视频| 男人午夜视频在线观看| 性久久久久久久久久久久久久| 999热精品视频| 一区二区三区日韩视频| 99精品一级欧美片免费播放| 欧美xxxx吸乳| 久久这里只有精品8| 久久久亚洲国产精品| 免费无码不卡视频在线观看| 5月婷婷6月丁香| 无码aⅴ精品一区二区三区浪潮 | 99色精品视频| 久久精品视频91| 波多野结衣xxxx| 国产日本欧美在线| 国产情侣第一页| 人妻少妇被粗大爽9797pw| 国产a级片免费观看| 99re精彩视频| 美女在线免费视频| 真人抽搐一进一出视频| 欧美一级欧美一级| 凹凸国产熟女精品视频| 日韩av片网站| 手机在线观看日韩av| 青青青青在线视频| 干日本少妇首页| 91女神在线观看| 欧洲精品视频在线| 熟女少妇在线视频播放| 久久精品99国产| 亚洲xxxx2d动漫1| 日韩国产精品毛片| 国产视频九色蝌蚪| a在线观看免费视频| 欧美xxxx吸乳| 久久久久久久久久久福利| 亚洲a级黄色片| 国产青草视频在线观看| 男人日女人bb视频| 亚洲一二三不卡| 人妻夜夜添夜夜无码av | 8x8ⅹ国产精品一区二区二区|