First ever: Central environmental inspection team in China

There's the latest news in fighting rampant pollution in China. Chinese central authorities have sent a team to conduct an environmental protection inspection of Hebei Province. The inspection in the province that surrounds Beijing is the first ever of its kind. How will the month-long effort help reduce pollution?

A historical movement to wage a war against pollution. And Hebei Province has been chosen as a pilot project in the planned bi-annual inspection.

"The inspection team will go about its work in a number of ways, including hearing reports, reading materials, carrying out investigations and holding forums, holding private talks, accepting reports and doing random on-the-spot checks," said Zhai Qing, Deputy Chief of Inspection Team.

The team will examine how the policies from the central level have been implemented and what they have done to improve the environment. The inspection team already has set up a hotline and mail box to receive reports from the public.

Hebei is required to devise a correction plan according to feedback from the team.

"We shall never save face for anybody,"

"We shall mete out punishments both legal and disciplinary on those for inaction or arbitrary conduct or even dereliction of duty, malpractice and abuse of power," said Zhao Kezhi, secretary of Hebei Provincial Committee of CPC.

Areas the inspectors will look into also include those sectors that secretly emit pollutants and targets of public outcry.

"The situation is very serious in environmental protection. The atmosphere, water and soil have been seriously polluted, reaching or nearing the capacity the environment can bear,"

"It's become a weak spot in achieving the goal to build a comprehensive well-off society," said Zhai Qing.

Central authorities will also inspect other provinces to see how provincial-level Party committees and governments carry out their environmental duties.