Beijing may levy car pollution fee after Olympics

Shanghai, August 22 (Gasgoo.com) Beijing is mulling a plan to levy car pollution fee after the Olympic Games in the effort to keep the city's air always fresh after the world's sports event, reported Beijing News yesterday.

The air in Beijing is the cleanest it has been for a decade and city officials plan to maintain the better quality even after the Olympics, a top environment official was quoted yesterday by state media as saying. But many people wonder whether Beijing would continue shutting down factories and enforcing no driving days for vehicles based on an alternating even-odd license plate number system.

On nine of the past 18 days, the air in the city was considered "excellent," while on the others it was rated "fairly good," said Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing environmental protection bureau. The average daily air pollution index (API) over the 18 days was 56, far below the 81 reported for last year, he said. "This is the best average summer API for a decade," Du said.

"Beijing will become a much more livable city," the official was quoted saying. "New measures will ensure air quality continues to improve after the Games." The possible measures, according to the environmental protection bureau, will include tightening the emission control of motor vehicles in the whole city.

While restructuring its heavy industry and closing pollution-making factories, the Chinese capital is studying the feasibility of charging auto pollution fee. Beijing's car owners are expected to pay money for the puffs of their vehicles on the city's streets and roads after the Olympics.