The Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance of Shandong Province, China, recently developed the “2014 Guidelines for Application for Special Funds to Promote Regional Strategy,” and will offer a fund of 870 million Chinese Yuan in the form of investment subsidy to support related projects.

 It is understood that the special fund will support four project categories. The first category includes the natural ecological protection and restoration project for wetlands, mountains, and coastlines. These projects will support the protection and restoration of damaged national and provincial natural wetland areas, and county-level efforts for the protection of wetland ecology. The comprehensive restoration of mountains damaged due to mining will be beneficial to the protection of coastal ecological environment, and the restoration and protection of coastal shorelines, slopes, and beaches.       

 The second category includes the project to renovate desulfurization, denitrification, and dust-collection facilities of key industries such as coal-fired power plants and petrochemical industries. These projects are expected to ensure comprehensive air-pollutant emission standards of Shandong Province are respected.

 The third category is the project to replace coal-fired boilers by using gas and residual heat. New capacity or experimental gas projects, however, are not eligible to apply for the fund.

 The fourth category is the project to resolve the pollution problems due to large-scale livestock and poultry farming. This is to ensure that the gas emissions and wastewater discharge after the treatment of animal feces comply with the “Shandong Province Livestock and Poultry Pollutant Discharge Standards.” This category does not include other garbage and sewage treatment  facilities which are not related to the disposal of waste material coming from livestock and poultry farming. (Source: China Environmental Newspaper report from Shandong correspondents)