(January 16, 2002) Officials and executives who delay reporting or who cover up ‘sudden environmental incidents’ may face criminal prosecution, a SEPA official is quoted as saying.

(Excerpt)

Beijing: China’s top pollution watchdog will demand officials report spills within an hour of their outbreak in an effort to deter cover-ups, the official People’s Daily said on Tuesday. An unnamed official from the State Environmental Protection Administration told the paper that officials and executives who delayed reporting or covered up “sudden environmental incidents” may face criminal prosecution. But the official also warned that China will find it near impossible to avoid serious accidents even after a chemical spill in November galvanized national concern about the ecological damage that has accompanied China’s industrial boom.

Reuters, January 16, 2002