Environmental management

Now, the water supply management system is being created within the Southern zone of St. Petersburg - with the population of about 1.5 mio people. In the future, the system will be extended throughout the whole city. 

Improvement of sewage sludge treatment and disposal technologies

Today, all the sludge produced by wastewater treatment is burnt at three sludge incineration plants. However, in the previous years (before the plants emerged) sludge was disposed to special landfills. In particular, the area of Severny landfill in Novoselki is about 83 ha.

To eliminate the negative impact of sewage sludge landfills on the environment, a sludge recycling project was designed on the basis of Geotube technology. . With this technology, special geotubes (filtration geotextile containers) are used where sludge is treated with chemicals. As a result, sludge is disinfected, dewatered and stabilized; odor is removed too. A harmless, odor-free substance is produced, which can be used for preparation of artificial soils.

In 2010, Vodokanal began sludge treatment at Severny landfill. It is expected to process all sewage sludge accumulated in the landfill by 2017.

Water and Sewerage Reconstruction and Development Program in the southern suburbs of St. Petersburg

SUE "Vodokanal of St. Petersburg" has begun to implement the Water and Sewerage Reconstruction and Development Program in the southern suburbs of St. Petersburg. The Program covers:

1. Reconstruction of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the town of Metallostroy increasing its capacity to 120,000 m3/day.
2. Construction of a 30,000 m3/day WWTP in the town of Lomonosov including an influent sewer.
3. Reconstruction of water treatment plant (WTP) in the town of Kolpino increasing its capacity to 250,000 m3/day.

The projects described above will create new prospects for industrial and housing development in the neighboring areas, put a stop to discharge of untreated wastewaters into the Gulf of Finland and ensure the quality of treated effluent as required by the regulations.

It is decided to implement these projects using a project financing mechanism where three special-purpose companies are established to act as Client and Operator. Currently, three special-purpose companies (SPC) are established and registered for the purpose of implementing the above projects:

1. LLC “South-Eastern Treatment Plants of St. Petersburg”

2. LLC “Western Treatment Plants of St. Petersburg”

3. LLC “South-Eastern Water Utility of St. Petersburg”

The sole founder and owner of 100% shares in the SPCs is SUE "Vodokanal of St. Petersburg". The SPCs will raise funds, reconstruct or build (acting as Client) and then operate (acting as Operator) the plants. The Program actions will be financed with the SPCs’ own and raised funds.⁷

4. Describe the process of ISO 14000 certification for any real enterprise

Since the 1990s, Sony sites throughout the world have sought certification under ISO 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems. Acquisition of ISO 14001 certification at all sites was completed in fiscal year 2000. Since then, Sony has expanded this effort, establishing an environmental management system that integrates Group headquarters with overseas environmental departments, business units and sites, while taking advantage of the management systems already operational at each business site, and acquiring integrated ISO 14001 certification for the entire Sony Group in fiscal year 2005.⁸

The process of certification implemented in the company included internal audits and document review and consists of several stages and steps:

Stage 1: Pre-Audit Review

Under the ISO 14000 Certification Scheme, a document review should be conducted. The document review focuses on the planning aspects of the environmental management system. The objective of the pre-audit is to ensure that the scope of analysis covering the entire EMS is conducted.

 Stage 2: Environmental Management System Audit

The objective of the audit is to confirm that the EMS of the Sony’s site conforms to all requirements of the ISO 14000 standards. The site was required to conduct one internal audit and management review prior to the audit.

Surveillance Audit

During the three years validity period of the certificate, annual surveillance audits will be conducted to ensure that the company continues to comply with the requirements of ISO 14000. In some cases additional external audits could be conducted.

Continuous Registration

A full reassessment for the renewal of certificate is conducted every three years.

5. Describe and evaluate risks attributed to your country

Climate change in Russia

Russia produces a significant portion of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and is therefore an important country in the international climate negotiations. The Kyotoprotocol did not come into force before it was ratified by Russia. Nevertheless, Russia's positions in the coming climate negotiations are an open question. Russian science and public has taken a more sceptical position to man-made climate change then the rest of the world, school education is weak and it is very little public information available about climate change. Since the county is rich on oil, gas and coal, fossil fuel is a priority together with maintaining its nuclear capacity.

Nuclear-waste and accidents risks

The first generation nuclear reactors have reached their designed lifespan. The oldest existing Chernobyl-type RBMK-1000 unit of Leningrad NPP and the oldest model of VVER-440 power unit of Kola NPP reached their designed lifespan in 2003. The first generation reactors create a higher probability of nuclear accidents, and should be closed at the planned expiry date. They should not be granted permits for prolonged operation. Necessary funds for decommissioning must be established, and the preparation of decommissioning started.

By-products of nuclear weapons production caused permanent damage near Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk in southern Siberia, and near Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains. Fallout from the 1986 explosion at Ukraine’s Chernobyl’ nuclear power plant affected Russia primarily in Bryansk Oblast (see Chernobyl’ Accident). Less well-known than the Chernobyl’  disaster were accidents at the Mayak nuclear weapons production plant near Chelyabinsk in 1949, 1957, and 1967, which together released significantly higher emissions than Chernobyl’ The Soviet military tested nuclear weapons on the islands of Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean, which was their second testing site after Semipalatinsk (now Semey), Kazakhstan. Nuclear reactors and wastes were dumped into the Barents and Kara seas of the far north, and in far eastern Siberia. Dumping of nuclear wastes in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) continued until 1993. The disposal of nuclear submarines and nuclear waste is still a problematic issue. Although a number of nuclear submarines have been decommissioned, many are still docked at Russian ports as a result of a lack of money and facilities for storing nuclear wastes.

Risk of land and water degradation

Land and water resources experienced severe degradation during the Soviet period. Some areas, such as the Kuznetsk Basin on the Tom’ River in southern Siberia, the industrial belt along the southern portion of the Ural Mountains, and the lower Volga River, were degraded beyond repair. Chemical fertilizers and airborne pollutants have contaminated some agricultural areas. Soil resources have also been adversely affected by mismanagement. Broad areas of land in southern Russia suffer from erosion. Wind erosion has affected the more arid parts of the North Caucasus, lower Volga River basin, and western Siberia. Pollutants released into rivers have accumulated in lakes and seas with limited water exchange, including the Caspian Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. A toxic layer of hydrogen sulfide covers the Black Sea, due in part to organic compounds from agricultural byproducts and untreated sewage. Many Russian cities are not equipped with adequate sewage treatment plants. Inadequate or nonexistent wastewater treatment contributes to the degradation of rivers and lakes.

Many hydroelectric dams were built during Soviet times on Russia’s major rivers. A series of dams on the Volga River has significantly slowed the river and decreased the volume of water it can carry; the decline in the flow of the Kuban’ and Don rivers has been even greater. The rivers therefore retain even more of the pollutants that are discharged into their waters. In addition, many of the dams do not have properly functioning fish ladders, so many fish do not make it past the dams to their spawning grounds. As a result, the numbers of sturgeon and other fish have been greatly reduced

Deforestation and destruction of forests

Forests in more accessible parts of the country suffer from deforestation caused by extensive logging. The rate of deforestation has increased in the Ussuri region in extreme far eastern Russia because of the activities of foreign logging operations. Some large stands of undisturbed forests are protected in Russia’s extensive network of national reserves and parks. Adequate funding for park rangers and other personnel is lacking, however, and poaching (illegal hunting) of endangered animals such as the Siberian tiger has increased as a result. Airborne pollutants have caused damage to vegetation in many areas of Russia. Copper, cobalt, and nickel smelters emit huge amounts of sulfur dioxide in the northern Siberian city of Noril’sk and on the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia. Winds spread these contaminants across northern Europe, where the pollutants have caused widespread destruction of Scandinavian forests. They have also affected large areas of forests in the Kuznetsk Basin and the southern Urals.

6. Describe environmental legislation adopted in your native country

The Constitution of 1993 set the overall framework for environmental management in Russia by formulating governmental functions in this field; the need for environmental protection and responsibility of the current generation to the future ones, as well as the obligation of the government to protect the environmental quality in the domestic and foreign relations. Over the past 20 years, Russia has enacted complex and strict environmental legislation that in many cases meets or exceeds commonly accepted international standards; however, the enforcement of this legislation has been uneven.  Russia is continuing to develop its legislation and currently has new draft resolutions in the State Duma.

General Environmental Legislative Framework. Federal and Regional Legislation

Pursuant to the constitution of the Russian Federation, environmental protection falls within the joint competence of the Russian Federation and its constituent entities; therefore, Russian environmental legislation is enacted at both federal and regional levels.

The main federal laws regulating environmental protection are Federal Law No. 7-FZ, “On Environmental Protection,” dated 10 January 2001 (the “Environmental Protection Law”), and Federal Law No. 174-FZ, “On Environmental Expert Review,” dated 23 November 1995 (the “Environmental Expert Review Law”).

The Environmental Protection Law:

• sets out the fundamental principles of Russian environmental regulation,
• provides an overall framework for environmental management, and
• imposes general environmental protection requirements related to the construction and operation of various facilities that may be harmful to the environment.⁹

Both the Environmental Expert Review Law and the Environmental Protection Law require the performance of an environmental impact assessment (“EIA”) prior to the implementation of a project that may have an impact on natural resources. Both laws further provide that the construction and operation of various facilities are permitted only after the receipt of a positive report from the unified State Environmental Expert Review (“SEER”) with respect to the relevant project documentation and proposed activity.

The EIA evaluates the possible adverse environmental impact and ecological consequences and endeavors to develop measures for decreasing or preventing such adverse impacts. A positive SEER conclusion is an essential precondition for financing and implementing any project that may have an impact on the environment. Russian environmental legislation at the regional level comprises various standards and procedures related to environmental permits and approvals that largely fall within the regulations established by the federal laws. In most cases, the regional legislation simply provides additional details with respect to the federal laws rather than set forth entirely new region-specific regulations.

Water Code

The Water Code of 16 November 1995 is in effect until 1 January 2007, but on 3 June 2006 the President of the Russian Federation signed a new Water Code. Its adoption was preceded by many debates and the code seems to be one of the most controversial pieces of environmental legislation in Russia. The new Water Code contains seven chapters comprising 69 articles. Currently, it is difficult to assess the Water Code  in general, but, clearly, it marks the shift in management approaches since focus is put on replacing public (administrative) means of regulation with civil ones. In comparison with the previous version, the requirements of the Water Code have become more declarative which, in fact, illustrates a trend in the most recent environmental legislation of Russia. In consequence, there is a greater need for developing the secondary legislation that might cause important delays in the implementation of the Code. 

Land protection legislation

Land regulation in Russia is one of the most politicized segments of regulation, eclipsing even debates around radioactive waste import and protection of Lake Baikal. Recently passed legal documents include several laws governing issues of ownership and its delimitation, information support for the protection and use of soils, procedure for their use, protection of agricultural land, its utilization, etc. Most importantly, the new Land Code of 25 October 2001 was enacted. These legal acts required amendment very soon after their entry into force in order to make the legal provisions more realistic, clarify the language or address mistakes in the definition of the objectives of legal regulation. At they same time, they provided for many environmental duties, restrictions and bans that are generally consistent with the requirements imposed in the European legislation.

Other special laws

In Russia, most numerous are the legal acts laying the rules of conduct in a specific area or affecting a particular activity or specific environmental impacts (e.g. the protection of Lake Baikal, activities at especially hazardous production facilities, waste treatment, etc.). Since 2000, a number of issue-specific laws have been developed and enacted:

• Federal Law “On the Territories for Traditional Use of Natural Resources by the Aboriginal Small Peoples of the North, Siberia, and Far East of the Russian Federation” passed in 2001. The law introduced the very concept of “territories for traditional use of natural resources”. Its goals go beyond environmental protection – first, protect the aboriginal habitat and traditional lifestyle of small peoples; second, preserve and develop their original culture; and third, conserve biodiversity in the territories for traditional use of natural resources. Implementation of this Federal Law has been faced with certain difficulties, the main one being that the authorities slowly delimitate and have legally registered the territories for traditional use of natural resources. 
• Federal Law “On Fishing and Conservation of Biological Water Resources” of 21 December 2004;
• Federal Law “On Earmarked Environmental Programmes for Rehabilitation of Radioactively Contaminated Areas” of 10 July 2001; Federal Law “On Social Protection of Individuals Exposed to Radiation as a Consequence of Nuclear Tests at Semipalatinsk Testing Ground” of 10 January 2002, and Federal Law “On Social Protection of Individuals Engaged in Work with Chemical Weapons” of 11 October 2000. For a number of reasons, society perceives the requirements of these laws either as non-enforceable and reducing the level of benefits for the persons affected by accidents or engaged in hazardous work, or as posing high risk for environmental quality and human rights to favourable environment and protection of health (e.g. allowing import of radioactive waste), or as breeding grounds for corruption and abuse by governmental officials; 

Federal Law “On Quality and Security of Foodstuffs”  of 2 January 2000: although the law set the requirements for the quality and security of foodstuffs for the first time in Russia, it is very declarative and obsolete compared to international benchmarks.

International Regulation

Russia is a party to most of the major international conventions and treaties in the sphere of environmental protection. 

• Convention on Biological Diversity (1983),
• Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (1985),
• Montreal Protocol on Substances Depleting the Ozone Layer (1987),
• Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes   and Their Disposal (1989),
• Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (1991).

Pursuant to the Russian constitution, if the provisions of any environmental regulation established by an international convention or treaty and/or those established by the Russian federal or regional laws contradict, the provisions of the international convention or treaty prevail.

Environmental Regulation

In Russia any activity that may have an adverse impact on the environment is subject to issuance of a special permit or license, establishment of limits with respect to the amount of such impact/pollution, payment of a fine for negative impact, and imposition of liability in case of violation.

Environmental Permits

Environmental permits allow an enterprise to conduct activities that may have a negative impact on the environment. They comprise:

• permits for general use of natural resources (e.g., a subsoil license or water use agreement): have limited transferability (i.e. they may be transferred to another entity only if the transferee meets certain criteria set by law and obtains the prior consent of an appropriate government authority); and
• permits for specific negative impact on the environment (e.g., hazardous waste management, operation of hazardous production facilities): are usually not transferable.

An environmental permit may not be issued with respect to certain specially protected areas of high ecological importance, such as state parks and nature reserves, wildlife reserves, botanic gardens and areas designated for recreational or health purposes; activities that may cause pollution in such areas are strictly prohibited. 

Permits for General Use of Natural Resources

• Water Use - The right to use bodies of water that are under federal or regional ownership can be granted either on the basis of a water use agreement or a decision of the relevant authority to grant use rights for a body of water, depending on the designated purpose of the water use.
• Subsoil - A subsoil use license is generally issued by the Federal Agency for Subsoil Use and certifies the right of its holder to use subsoil within certain boundaries, on certain terms and for certain purposes. Typically, the exploration license is granted for up to five years (10 years for offshore), while the production term may be as long as is required (as evidenced in the feasibility study) for the full rational use of a deposit. The Subsoil Law does not expressly provide for the combined exploration/production term. However, in practice, a combined license may be issued for 25 years. The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources Use oversees state control of subsoil management. Failure to comply with the terms of a subsoil license can lead to penalties, suspension or revocation of the subsoil license, with further termination of subsoil use rights.
• Continental Shelf - Russian legislation sets out different types of permits for continental shelf activities (e.g., permits for laying underwater cables and pipelines; for creating artificial islands, installation and structures; and for drilling operations).
• Forests - In order to use forestland, companies are generally required to enter into a forest plot lease agreement with the state authorities that own such land. In addition, each forestland user must prepare a forest development plan with data on the type of forest, planned volumes of forest use, actions aimed at the protection and rehabilitation of the forest, and actions relating to the construction and use of facilities that are not related to the establishment of forest infrastructure.

Permits for Specific Negative Impact on the Environment

• Air Pollution – The right to emit hazardous substances into the atmosphere requires a permit that sets out the maximum permissible emission levels of the applicable hazardous substances. In certain cases (e.g., during the commissioning of a facility), a company may operate under a permit that temporarily allows it to emit in excess of the established maximum permissible emission levels.  The air pollution permits are issued by federal or regional authorities, depending on whether the relevant source pollution is subject to regional or federal environmental control.
• Waste Treatment – The collection, transportation and/or disposal of waste requires:

• a positive report of the federal state expert review with respect to project documentation for waste treatment facilities;
• the issuance of a waste management license or the conclusion of a services agreement with a specialized company that has a waste management license;
• the establishment of limits for the amounts of waste disposal; and
• with respect to certain types of hazardous waste, the receipt of a passport of hazardous waste that specifies the class of hazardous waste in accordance with the established classifications of hazardous industrial waste.

In certain cases, small and midsize companies can be exempted from some of the above obligations provided they regularly submit a report to the relevant authority regarding their generation, use, decontamination and disposal of waste.

• Hazardous Industrial Facilities - A company operating flammable, explosive or chemically hazardous facilities must be licensed by the Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision. The companies that operate hazardous industrial facilities are also required to have adequate insurance in place so that they can pay for damage that might be caused in case of an accident. In addition, putting a production facility into operation requires a permit from the state authorities responsible for construction (i.e., the Ministry of Regional Development and the relevant regional or municipal bodies).