In response to the central government's organizational restructuring and promote regional environmental management, the EPA formally established three District Environmental Management Centers on 1 January 2022. Under the existing organizational structure of the Northern, Central, and Southern Branches of the Bureau of Environmental Inspection, regional environmental governance, supervision of environmental tasks of local environmental agencies, and environmental crime investigation and law enforcement that were the original tasks of the Branches have been incorporated as the core tasks of the Northern, Central and Southern District Environmental Management Centers with the leaders of the branches assuming the roles as directors of the respective centers.

The EPA stated that following the establishment of the Office of Resource Circulation and the Climate Change Office on 1 July 2021, the tasks of managing general waste and environmental sanitation were transferred to the Bureau of Environmental Inspection to unify authority and improve administrative efficiency. In addition, starting from 1 January 2022, the tasks of implementing "Salute to the Ocean -- Coastal Cleanliness Maintenance Plan” and of acting as the contacts for “Natural Disaster Response" and "Epidemic and Disaster Prevention" will also be transferred to the Bureau of Environmental Inspection.

To strengthen organizational functions in line with the central government’s organization restructuring and to satisfy the needs of regional environmental management, the EPA has set up the Northern, Central, and Southern District Environmental Management Centers under the Bureau of Environmental Inspection. Under each center are five working groups: integrated planning, administrative inspectorate, crime detection, regional environmental facilities, and regional environmental management. In addition, a Disaster Prevention and Response Section has been created under the Northern Environmental Management Center to be responsible for the EPA’s integrated operations in response to natural disasters.

The EPA pointed out that in the future, in addition to handling environmental crime investigation and law enforcement and administrative supervision, which are the existing tasks of the three branches of the Bureau of Environmental Inspection, the three regional environmental management centers will also be responsible for the management of garbage disposal facilities, environmental sanitation management and other coordinating tasks previously handled by the Bureau. The Northern Environmental Management Center will also act as the contact for natural disaster response and epidemic and disaster prevention in order to gain greater flexibility in the deployment of manpower and service through personnel adjustment and mutual support. As a result, the organizational efficiency and core functions are enhanced since major or cross-district environmental inspections, waste management, and garbage disposal can now be conducted routinely. Still, a swift response can also be delivered in the event of a major environmental incident or natural disaster.

Excerpt from Major Environmental Policies, January 2022