Russian Ministry of Natural Resources developed a draft order for activities of public environmental inspectors

Accordingto the official website of the Year of Ecology, the document establishes the ID form, procedure for its issuance, and the rules of the organization of the activities of public environmental inspectors for the implementation of public control. The draft order also establishes the method of interaction between the public inspectors and the public councils of the State Forestry and Environmental Supervision. According to the document, the public environmental inspectors will assist the bodies of state supervision in the observance by the authorities, public officials, legal entities and individuals, including those engaged in entrepreneurial activity without establishing a legal entity, of the requirements ofenvironmental legislation, document the violations of the law and present information on such cases to the state supervisory authorities. In addition, they will participate in the activitieson protection and rational use of natural resources, in particular, contribute to the formation of ecological awareness among people through involvement of citizens into environmental protection, clean-up of territories and water areas, planting trees.

The draft order establishes the procedure for obtaining a licence. To bedesignated asa public inspector, any Russian citizen older than 18 years, with university or vocational education, ready to assist to state supervision bodies in environmental activities voluntarily and free of charge as a public inspector of environmental protection, can apply to the state supervision authority in any form. In order to organize the activities of public inspectors, state supervision bodies create Offices on the organization of activities of public environmentprotection inspectors. The Office takes the decision on awarding or refusal in designation as a public inspector and extension of the ID term. The ID confirms that the citizen is a public environmental inspector and has the right to exercise powers of the public inspector on environment protection provided for in paragraph 6 of Article 68 of the Federal Law “On Environmental Protection”. The public inspectors can perform public control both as a part of associations and individually.

The draft order has passed public discussion and an independent anti-corruption expertise, as well as the intradepartmental coordination and coordination with RosPrirodNadzor, and has been finalized on the comments. The finalized draft order has been sent for approval to the RosPrirodNadzor, RosLesKhzoz, and Ministry of Economic Development of Russia.

Let us recall that in the Republic of Tatarstan the institution of public inspectors was revived in 2014. Their activities already made a good showing. According to the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan FaridAbulganiev,in 2016 about 20% of offenses of environmental legislation in the country were identified thanks to them, and “this is a very good result and a great help to state inspectors of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan” – said the Minister.

Press-service of MENR of RT