Brief Outline of Russian Environmental Legislation

A.Afanasyev

North-West Research Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Electrification (SZNIIMESH)

Saint-Petersburg-Pavlovsk, Russia

Prague 26 - 28 April 2006

Basic environmental legal acts of the Russian Federation

• Constitution of the Russian Federation• Federal Laws:

– «On Environmental Protection» N 7-FZ of January 10, 2002– «The Land Code of the Russian Federation» N 136-FZ of

October 25, 2001– «Atmospheric Air Protection Law» N 96-FZ of May 4, 1999– «The Water Code of the Russian Federation» N 167-FZ of

November 16, 1995– «On Production and Consumption Refuse» N 89-FZ of June

24, 1998

– Government Decree of the Russian Federation N 632 of August 28, 1992

– Government Decree of the Russian Federation N 344 of June 12, 2003

Government Bodies Connected with Environmental Protection in the context of Agriculture

Government of the RF

The Ministry of Natural Resources

The Ministry of

Agriculture

Federal Service for

Hydrometeorology and

Environmental

Monitoring

Federal Service for Veterinary and Phyto-

sanitary Supervision

Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resource

Usage

Federal Water

Resources Agency

Federal Environmen

tal, Engineering & Nuclear

Supervision Agency

Federal Forestry Agency

Federal Mineral

Resources Agency

Federal Fishery Agency

Payments for environmental pollution

• In the amounts, which do not exceed maximum permissible discharge (MPD) of pollutants, or waste disposal, established for a particular enterprise

• For the discharges within the limits (the so-called “temporary agreed” levels)

• For the discharges of a given pollutant in excess of specified temporary agreed levels in case of emergency due to the fault of enterprise.

Sources of negative influence

• emissions of pollutants by stationary sources, namely boiler houses, animal houses and processing facilities;

• emissions of pollutants by mobile sources (internal combustion engines of tractors and mobile farm machines)

• discharge of pollutants into surface and underground water bodies with under-cleaned waste and storm water from livestock farms, processing facilities, machine yards, and also from fields

• disposal of production and consumption refuse on un-authorized dumps, animal and poultry waste storing capacities, machinery maintenance and repair sites.

Payment rates for atmospheric emissions of some farm related pollutants.

Pollutants Payment rates for 1 ton pollutants emission

within maximum permissible emission

within specified temporary agreed limits

Nitrogen dioxide ~ 1.507 EUR ~ 7.536 EUR

Nitrogen oxide ~ 1.014 EUR ~ 5.072 EUR

Ammonia ~ 1.507 EUR ~ 7.536 EUR

Methane ~ 1.449 EUR ~ 7.246 EUR

Carbon oxide ~ 0.017 EUR ~ 0.087 EUR

Conclusions • In the Russian Federation detailed environmental

legislation is in force, but it primarily focuses on the use of natural resources and not on environment protection.

• Several governmental bodies are charged with the duties on pollution control and environmental protection, but the interaction mechanism of these bodies is underdeveloped.

• In the Russian environmental legislation the stimulation mechanisms of nature protection activity are declared but in practice they do not work in contrast to the system of fees for negative environmental impact.