From January 5, 2025, a new regulation will impose environmental protection fees on dust and industrial emissions from various facilities.

These including those producing iron, steel, and metallurgy; refining and petrochemical facilities; recycling and treating municipal and industrial solid waste, and hazardous waste; using imported scrap for production; producing coke and coal gas; thermal power plants; and cement production facilities.

According to the Government's Decree 153/2024/ND-CP, which governs environmental protection fees for emissions, the fee targets dust and industrial emissions released into the environment that require treatment by projects, production, business, and service facilities with environmental permits. These permits must include provisions for emission control.

The Decree mandates that fee collection organizations must remit all collected environmental protection fees to the State budget. The cost of fee collection activities will be covered by the State budget, allocated within the fee collection organization's budget estimate.

Importantly, the Decree clarifies that paying these fees does not confirm the legal discharge of emissions. Facilities that violate environmental protection laws will face penalties as stipulated by law.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will provide guidance on emission monitoring, determine emission flow rates and pollutant concentrations, and compile proposals for amending or supplementing documents on environmental protection fees for emissions. These will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance for further action.