China's environment watchdogs have amended a marine environmental protection regulation to require environmental impact assessments for coastal construction projects.

The amendment, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2008, requires reports on the impact on the marine environment of all projects, including building, rebuilding and expansions, near the coast before they are approved by environmental protection departments.

"The report should include environmental assessments of the project's location and the sea area, the impact on the marine environment during and after construction, and measures that will be taken for environmental protection and their feasibility," it says.

Environmental protection departments should consult maritime affairs departments, fishery authorities, and military environmental protection departments before approving coastal construction projects, it says.

Project managers will face prosecution under the Marine Environmental Protection Law if they refuse or prevent spot inspections by environmental protection departments, fail to obtain approved environmental evaluation reports, or put the projects into use without environmental protection facilities, according to the regulation.

The original regulation was promulgated on Aug. 1, 1990.

Twenty-five percent of China's inshore waters and almost 50 percent of its territorial waters have been polluted.

(Xinhua News Agency October 5, 2007)