中国生态文明建设（中英对照）连载之三十八
官员环保考核制度
本书由北京语言大学出版社出版，2014（教学课件光盘版） 作者 蒋高明
4.3.1官员环保考核制度
4.3.1 Assessment system for officials in terms of environmental protection
如果有人问，在中国最难做的官是什么官？在我看来，是环保官员。
If asked, “What kind of official has the toughest job in China?” I should say: environmental protection officials.
在基层调研，县环保局局长们经常向我抱怨，县环保局长最难当：环境出了问题，老百姓的庄稼、牲畜、鱼甚至身体健康受害，他们会找环保局；而地方政府为了财政收入，对污染企业又常常睁一只眼闭一只眼，环保局长想管好又管不好。地方环保官员是县里一把手任命的，业务上归口环保部，但人事上又得听地方政府的。
When doing grass-roots researches, I often hear complaints from chiefs of the the Environmental Protection Bureaus (EPB) in various counties to the effect that they are in the toughest official position. On the one hand, when something comes up or when the crops, livestock, fish and even people’s physical health are harmed, the local people will go to the EPB; and on the other hand, local governments often turn a blind eye to those polluting enterprises for the sake of revenue, thus putting the local environment protection chiefs in a predicament. To make the matter even more embarrassing, the local environmental protection officials are appointed by the top leaders of the county, but their work is subordinated to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
难当的不只是地方的环保局长，就连环保部门的最高领导，有的也因环保事件丢了“乌纱帽”。2005年11月13日，吉林石化公司双苯厂发生爆炸，造成5人死亡、1人失踪，近70人受伤。约100吨苯类物质流入松花江，沿江数百万居民的饮水受到影响，影响还波及邻国俄罗斯。国家环保总局局长解振华被就地免职。这一严重事态表明，中国环境保护的压力越来越大了，中国对环境污染事件的处理也越来越严了。环保部门再也不是橡皮图章了。
Even the top leaders in the environmental protection departments may be dismissed from office because of some environmental accidents. On November 13, 2005, an explosion occurred in abi-benzene plant of Jilin Petrochemical Branch Company, causing 5 deaths and 1 missing and nearly 70 people injured. About 100 tons of benzene flowed into the Songhua River, and the drinking water of millions of the local residents was polluted. The accident even affected neighboring Russia. Xie Zhenhua, the Director of the Environmental Protection Administration was removed from office. This serious accident indicates that China’s environmental protection pressure is intensified, and China’s punishment for environment accident is increasingly stern. The environmental protection department is no longer a rubber stamp.
前面谈过的各项环境保护制度，关键在于执行。而决定执行效果的关键，是官员，尤其是地方官员。路线一旦确定，贯彻者与执行者的选择最为重要。对于官员考核，过去单纯以GDP论英雄，于是，多数官员就会盲目追求GDP，就会对污染企业睁一只眼闭一只眼。环境保护是千秋大业，很多时候在短时间内见不到明显效益，如果官员主要考虑政绩，那就会忽略环境。相反，如果对官员进行考核时，要求必须保护好生态环境，否则GDP再高也不能升迁，那官员们肯定会认真对待环境保护这项事业了。
Implementation is crucial to the environmental protection system, and the officials, especially the local officials, are the key to effective implementation. Once the plan is made, selecting people to carry it out is of the highest significance. Many officials used to be tolerant of polluting enterprises, because the assessment system of their performance only took GDP as the norm. Environmental protection is a long-term cause, and its effectiveness cannot be observed in a short time. Therefore, if officials only care for their political achievements, they are sure to ignore environment protection. On the contrary, if their performance in the environmental protection work is incorporated into officials’ assessment, they’ll be much more vigilant about the environment.
松花江苯泄漏事件后，国家环保总局在全国开展了环境隐患大排查。全国环保部门对总投资超过1万亿的7555个化工石化建设项目，开展了环境风险排查[1]。由于中央政府的重视，一时间各级政府、企业与民众，都一下子加大了对环保的重视。环境污染现象暂时得到了抑制，直到出现了“红豆水”事件，环保问责制再次显示威力。
After the benzene spill on the Songhua River, the State Environmental Protection Administration launched a nationwide investigation of environmental hazards. Environmental protection departments across the country inspected 7,555 chemical and petrochemical projects invested with more than 1 trillion Yuan in total. Thanks to the concern shown by the central authorities, the governments at all levels, enterprises and the public became acutely aware of environmental protection. Environmental pollution was temporarily restrained until the “red bean water” accident, when the environment accountability system displayed its power again.
河北沧县张官屯乡小朱庄村，地下水变红已经超过10年。自1996年以来，800人的小朱庄已经有24人死于癌症，现在还有6名癌症患者；农民养鸡也出现大量死亡。2013年1月，一位周姓养殖户养殖的肉鸡先后死亡700只，疑似与周围化工厂水污染有关。4月4日，面对农民的质疑，河北沧县环保局党组书记、环保局局长邓连军，竟然用“水煮红小豆”来解释，引来专家、网民炮轰。事发第二天，该“红豆局长”被就地免职。
In Xiaozhuzhuang village in Zhangguantun of Cangxian County, Hebei Province, the groundwater turned red for over a decade. Since 1996, 24 people in this village of altogether 800 have died of cancer (there are still 6 cancer patients alive today); and chickens also died in large numbers. In January 2013, 700 chickens owned by a farmer surnamed Zhou died, and the deaths were suspected to be related to water pollution by chemical plants around. On April 4, facing skeptical farmers, Deng Lianjun, Party secretary and Director of Hebei Cangxian County Environmental Protection Bureau, explained the accident as “red bean boiling-water”, triggering strong protests from experts and netizens. The following day, the “red bean director” was dismissed.
传统的中国官员选拔任用，突出“民主推荐、科学考察、党委集体讨论决定、纪律监督”等环节，要依据相关的任用条件和职责要求，全面考察备选人的德、能、勤、绩、廉各方面，其中尤其注重考核实际工作成绩，也就是政绩。但以往的官员政绩考核，却较少考虑到环保标准。
Traditional selection and appointment of Chinese official highlights “democratic recommendation, scientific investigation, party group discussion, discipline supervision” and other procedures the candidate should be assessed in terms of morality, ability, diligence, achievements, and integrity, based on conditions and responsibilities related to the requirements of the post; and performance assessment, namely assessment of achievements in one’s official career, is of special importance. But environmental protection was excluded from performance assessment before.
现在，将环保标准纳入政绩考核的呼声越来越高，今后这样脑子里没有环保意识的官员，可能随时面临着被罢免。环保业绩会与政府官员任免密切挂钩，政府将被戴上环境的“紧箍咒”，而老百姓则能够看到蓝天、白云、青山、绿水。在官员、企业、民众的共同努力下，中国才能实现美丽中国的梦想。
Now, the voice for including environmental standards into performance evaluation has become stronger. Officials without environmental awareness may be removed at any time. Performance in environmental protection will be closely linked with the appointment and removal of government officials. The government will wear an environmental “iron grip”, and the people will be able to see the blue sky, white clouds, green mountains, and clean water. Only through joint efforts of officials, enterprises and the public can we build a beautiful China.
[1] 通过环境风险排查，全国3618个项目采取了防范和减缓环境风险的措施，49个项目进行了搬迁。
[1] Through environmental risk investigation, 3,618 projects took precautionary measures to mitigate environmental risks, and 49 projects were relocated.
