SEPA starts factory pollution campaign

The State Environmental Protection Administration has unleashed an official industrial pollution crackdown, the South China Morning Post reported. SEPA will initially investigate environmental safety standards at 127 riverside petrochemical plants, focusing on environmental safety measures and crisis contingency planning. A total of US$55.8 billion is invested in the affected plants. Prominent environmental activist Dai Qing said the campaign was political. SEPA ordered hydropower projects to stop construction last year, but most resumed operations with the approval of the National Development and Reform Commission, she said.