Acceptable “harmfulness standards” for Lake Baikal may be revised

The standards for maximum permissible impacts on Lake Baikal and the list of harmful substances dangerous to the unique ecological system of the lake may be revised, the press service of Rosprirodnadzor reported on March 26 .

This decision was made at an interdepartmental meeting held in February on the possibility of revising the requirements of Order No. 63 of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia dated March 5, 2010 “On approval of standards for maximum permissible impacts on the unique ecological system of Lake Baikal and the list of harmful substances, including substances related to categories of especially dangerous, highly dangerous, dangerous and moderately dangerous for the unique ecological system of Lake Baikal.”

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, the Federal Agency for Water Resources, the Administration of the Irkutsk Region, as well as OJSC Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, LLC IC Continentalinvest, OJSC Central Scientific Research Institute of Paper and OJSC Sibgiprobum.

As a result of the meeting, it was decided to create a working group with the participation of OJSC Sibgiprobum (the only design institute in Siberia and the Far East in the field of forestry, woodworking and pulp and paper industries), as well as all interested departments and organizations to prepare within three months proposals to amend the requirements of the order.

The message from Rosprirodnadzor does not say in what direction it is planned to revise the “hazard standards”, but it is indicated that currently the frequency of issuing permits for activities in the area of ​​the Baikal natural territory is established in accordance with the requirements of Part 1 of Art. 14 of the Federal Law of 01.05.1999 No. 94-FZ “On the protection of Lake Baikal”, according to which the maximum permissible volume of discharges and emissions of harmful substances, disposal of production and consumption waste is subject to mandatory review annually in order to reduce it.

Let us recall that at the end of February 2012, once again touching on the problem of the ecology of Lake Baikal, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that, according to scientists, “plankton eats the emissions from the pulp and paper mill and, in principle, they have not yet recorded much damage.”