State Council proposes to establish payment for pollution of environment

The presidium of the State Council will meet on Wednesday in the Kremlin under the chairmanship of Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss "The Improvement of the Ecological Situation in the Russian Federation." The reports on the theme will be delivered by Anatoly Guzhvin, governor of the Astrakhan Region and the head of the working group, and Vitaly Artykhov, Minister of Natural Resources.

The Ecological Doctrine of the Russian Federation and the Report "on improving the ecological situation in Russia" will be submitted for the consideration of the presidium of the State Council.

As a source from the working group of the State Council reported, one of the most serious ecological problems of Russia is "practically unpunished pollution of the environment." At the present time the country does not have the laws that would not only restrict the actions of the violators, but would make it possible to compensate for the damage done by them," said the source.

In order to solve this problem, the working group proposes to submit to the State Duma the draft Federal Law on Payment for a Negative Influence on the Environment.

The working group will also recommend to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

It also proposes to raise the degree of the population's knowledge about the state of the environment and to create a common system of ecological education - to give knowledge at schools about the structure of the environment, the behaviour of people in conditions of ecological and man-caused disasters, and about the measures on preserving the natural riches.

Apart from that, the working group proposes "to change the role of the subjects of the Federation in solving the ecological problems." "Working out and adoption of regional programmes for improving the ecological situation," is supposed to raise the status of the regions in ensuring ecological security. It is also necessary for the regional budgets to have an article that would provide for the solution of ecological problems, the working group disclosed.

Moreover, the subjects of the Federation should form Councils on Ecological Policy.