State environmental supervision is the activity of special bodies. It aims to verify compliance with environmental legislation. Let us consider in more detail how state environmental supervision is carried out.
General information
The key organization that checks the legislative requirements in the field of nature protection is the Federal Environmental Supervision Service. At the regional level, this activity falls under the competence of executive structures of subjects and territorial divisions. The objects of environmental supervision are approved by government decree. The list, among other things, includes energy complexes, especially valuable natural territories, as well as the infrastructure that ensures the country's defense.
Types of Checks
Environmental control is carried out on a planned and unscheduled basis. In the first case, checks are carried out according to a previously approved schedule. In accordance with the general rule, such environmental control is carried out no more than 1 time in three years. An unscheduled check is carried out in the presence of specific grounds. For example, this may be a media report on a violation in the field of environmental protection. In addition, during unscheduled events, authorized persons shall establish whether the environmental safety requirements , as well as the requirements obtained from previous inspections, are complied with.
Inspector Rights
Direct environmental supervision is carried out by officials with the appropriate authority. Within their competence, they are vested with rights that enable them to fulfill their responsibilities. In particular, inspectors may:
- Visit the facilities without hindrance to check compliance with environmental legislation.
- Request materials required for inspection.
- To draw up reports on administrative violations within the limits of their authority.
- To prosecute entities that do not comply with the requirements of the law.
- To file a claim for compensation for damage to the environment.
Industrial and public environmental supervision
Economic entities can conduct inspections on their own. To do this, they need to form an appropriate service or department or to appoint officials responsible for ensuring compliance with environmental protection regulations at the enterprise. The results of production inspections should be transferred to the body authorized to conduct environmental monitoring. Public inspections are carried out by citizens and their associations. Thus, the right to a favorable living environment is realized.
Holding entities accountable
The grounds for applying the sanctions are:
- Damage to nature or its components.
- Causing damage to the health of citizens due to the negative impact on the living environment.
- Damage to property of organizations and individuals by an environmental offense.
The conditions for holding persons accountable are:
- Identification of the fact of harm.
- Establishment of the fault of the person who caused the damage. If harm has arisen from a source of increased danger, the fulfillment of this condition is not required.
- Determining the amount of damage caused by the offense.
- Establishment of causal relationships between harm and actions of subjects.
The specifics of violations
A subject who can be held liable in the event of the establishment of his guilt may be a citizen aged 16 years or over. The object of the offense are social relations arising in the environmental sphere. The subjective side provides for imprudent and intentional guilt. The punishments for environmental crimes are set out in chap. 26 of the Criminal Code. In addition, legislation provides for administrative liability. It is defined in chapters 8 and 10 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Both legal entities and citizens can be held administratively liable. The acts falling under the CAO include violations of:
- Legislative provisions on environmental impact assessment.
- The rules for the protection of water areas, atmospheric air, the procedure for harvesting wood, hunting, and fishing.
Protected Areas
The main types of such territories include:
- Natural reserves and sanctuaries.
- National and dendrological parks.
- Monuments of nature.
- Botanical Gardens.
- Health and wellness areas and resorts.
Environmental supervision is aimed at ensuring the safety of these areas, summarizing information about them. During inspections, cases of improper use of natural complexes are identified, the need for restoration work is established.
Atomic surveillance
It is carried out in accordance with current regulatory documents approved by the Government. The authorized organization is Rostekhnadzor. His competence includes, among other things, building inspections. The specified body checks the activities of all nuclear and other facilities receiving or using sources of ionizing radiation. In addition, the inspection is responsible for complying with international standards for the handling of radioactive and nuclear materials. As part of its activities, Rostekhnadzor verifies compliance with the rules for the use of atomic energy.
Important Terms
Subjects operating nuclear facilities are required to comply not only with the requirements of basic legal acts, but also with building codes. Rules must be followed at the design stage. The construction of nuclear plants is carried out only by agreement with Rostekhnadzor. Operators should understand that even a slight deviation from the rules can cause serious consequences.
Additionally
Rostechnadzor in its activities is based on the provisions of federal legislation, SNiPs and other regulatory acts. In working order, meetings and meetings are regularly organized. They are held both in the Russian Federation and abroad. Supervision in the field of atomic energy use is carried out at all stages of the activities of the inspected entities. The infrastructure of installations is thoroughly checked, and the availability of relevant technical documentation is established. Radiation safety is ensured during transportation, storage, use and subsequent disposal, as well as processing and mining of the corresponding ores and materials. The Inspectorate pays special attention to the operation of installations that use ionizing radiation sources. Each type of supervisory activity is regulated by regulatory documents, orders, laws. Without proper inspection, industrial enterprises engaged in this field could not function without harming nature.
Conclusion
Currently, environmental issues have become global. Each country has an environmental strategy . At the legislative level, norms, regulations are created, responsibility is introduced. At the same time, environmental safety requirements are regularly reviewed and adapted to modern conditions. The implementation of the requirements is mandatory for all economic entities and citizens. At the same time, a special inspection operates in the country, supervising compliance with environmental standards. The powers of this instance are quite wide. At the same time, officials who directly carry out control activities are vested with responsibilities. In particular, they must act strictly according to the established rules, without speaking beyond their competence. Inspectors are obliged to timely detect and prevent violations of environmental laws.
Inspections should be carried out at all levels. Therefore, in the regions, as well as the Moscow Region, there are units of the Federal Environmental Supervision Service. Legislation allows for internal audits of enterprises. In the course of them, technical and other documentation related to ensuring the protection of the environment from harmful emissions or other negative effects may be revised.