Draft Law on Ensuring Fulfillment of International Ozone Layer Protection Obligations: Successful First Reading at the State Duma

May 17, 2013

On May 14, 2013, draft law “On amending Article 82 of the Russian Code of Administrative Violations and Federal Law “On Environment Protection” in part of ensuring fulfillment by the Russian Federation of its obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer” successfully passed first reading by the State Duma.

The draft law submitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation provides for the following:

• powers of the Government of the Russian Federation to draw up a list of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) subject to the state regulation, volume of their production, consumption as well as requirements to their use, terms of imposition of the ban for design, placement and construction of any facilities engaged in production of those substances and products containing them;
• establishment of a state ODS accounting procedure, including its reporting forms and dates;
• ban on landfill of deteriorated ODS-containing consumables before recovering those substances for further recycling or destruction;
• introduction of administrative responsibility for inobservance of ODS handling requirements:
  • citizens: RUB 1,000–2,000,
  • officials: RUB 10,000–30,000,
  • persons conducting entrepreneurial activity without establishing a legal entity: RUB 30,000–50,000 or suspension of operations up to 90 days,
  • legal entities: RUB 100,000–250,000 or suspension of operations up to 90 days.