No pollution control permits for ‘white category’ sectors now

No pollution control permits for ‘white category’ sectors now

Sub: Env

Sec: Pollution

Context:

• The Union Environment Ministry has proposed that industries categorized under the ‘white category’ by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will no longer require prior permission from state pollution control boards to establish and operate under the Air Act, 1981, and Water Act, 1974.
• These permissions, known as ‘consent to establish’ (CTE) and ‘consent to operate’ (CTO), are traditionally granted to regulate industries discharging pollutants.

Proposed Changes to Permissions:

• The ministry suggests eliminating the CTE permit requirement for projects/activities that need prior environmental clearance (EC).
• CTEs, previously issued with specific conditions to meet pollution norms, might now be integrated with the EC granted by the Ministry of Environment.
• The ministry has released two separate draft notifications under the Air Act, 1981, and Water Act, 1974, inviting comments and objections within 60 days.

White Category Industries:

• Industries such as wind and solar power projects, air cooler assembly, and bicycle assembly fall under the white category, exempting them from CTE and CTO permits.
• After CPCB’s recategorization in 2016, sectors with a Pollution Index (PI) score up to 20 are classified as white-category industries.
• These industries are required to inform state pollution control boards about their operations through self-declarations.
• The Pollution Index ranges from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating greater pollution. The criteria for categorization are as follows:

1. Red category: PI score of 60 and above
2. Orange category: PI score of 41 to 59
3. Green category: PI score of 21 to 40
4. White category: PI score up to 20

Source: IE