The main normative and legal acts regulating the environment matters are as follows: the Law of the RK On Environment Protection dated July 15, 1997, Code of the RK On Administrative Offences dated January 30, 2001, Criminal Code of the RK dated July 16, 1997, and also some Regulations of the Government of the RK. 

The following authorities shall be rendered to the main bodies carrying out supervision over fulfillment of the ecological legislation:

1. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Protection of the RK, including the Committee for Environment Protection of the RK, Committee for Forestry, Fish and Hunting Industries, Committee for Water Storage, Committee for Geology and Conservation of Mineral Resources.
2. Agency of the RK for Emergencies (control over safety fulfillment of works in the industry, and mining supervision).
3. Environmental Public Prosecution.
4. State Inspection for Subsurface Protection and Utilization under the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Environment protection is a multiple-aspect issue, which essence is in harmonious interaction of the nature and human being, improvement of the environment quality, rational utilization and reproduction of natural resources by measures of public and state influence.

However, multiple aspects of this issue arise not only from the concept «environment protection», but also from the concept «environment», which composes a body of natural objects, including atmosphere air, ozone layer of the earth, water, soil, subsoil, animal and plant life, as well as climate, in their aggregate.

For the purposes of a more effective environment protection in Kazakhstan, a permissive system is introduced for contaminant emissions and discharge into the environment, right to dispose waste, and consumption, indicating certain time limits and volumes, standards, conditions and technology applied. Permit for the environment pollution is issued by the Committee for the Environment Protection.

The permit is made at the central body in cases when nature use's one of the types of pollution takes place and it exceeds as follows1:

1. emissions of contaminants — 1000 tons/year (for oil and gas industry — 100 tons/year) and all enterprises of the first and second categories of danger depending on the mass and type composition of the contaminants;
2. discharge of contaminants — 1000 tons/year;
3. discharged waste — 10000 tons/year (3rd and 4th class of toxicity) or 1000 tons/year (1st and 2nd class of toxicity).

The permit shall also be made by the central body to nature users, whose activity is related to the direct pollution of regions: Baikonur Space Center, Caspian Sea, transboundary rivers: Irtysh, Ural, Ili, Tobol, and Syrdarya

In all other cases the permit is made by the territory administration. The permit is issued for the period of one year, to which addenda are made, wherein types of pollution are indicated, their quantity and concentration of contaminant ingredients.

Besides, for companies involved in oil and gas field, a permit for popping of casing-head gas is required.

Due to the rapid development of the industrial, raw material, oil and gas and other sectors of economy, the actuality of the topic of the environment protection via the governmental mechanism is becoming more topical, which is reflected in the legislation on civil, administrative and criminal legislation. For example, the number of Clauses providing for the administrative responsibility for violation of law in the sphere of environment protection and natural resources utilization, is 66.3 And the civil legislation stipulates for 18 Clauses for the ecological offences. Also, in case of violation of the environment protection legislation a penalty shall be levied in the civil procedure for the damage caused to a certain object of the natural environment.

Administrative Responsibility

In accordance with the Code of the RK On Administrative Offences, an administrative offence is an unlawful culpable (either deliberate or imprudent) act or negligence of an individual or an unlawful action or negligence of a legal entity for which this Code provides a responsibility.

In particular, the Code of the RK On Administrative Offences also provides for the offenses, like as follows:

• violation of rules for conducting subsoil utilization operations, as well as terms and conditions of subsoil utilization contracts;
• violation of the established standards, norms and other ecological requirements on the environment protection;
• evasion from undertaking measures on liquidation of ecological pollution consequences;
• excess of standards of maximum permissible emissions to atmosphere or emission of contaminants without the permission;
• failure to perform requirements of the legislation on mandatory conduct of the state ecological expert examination;
• failure to fulfil requirements of the nature-conservative regime of soil utilization; — violation of the time limits of the return of temporarily occupied soils or failure to fulfil obligations of bringing them to the condition suitable for the utilization on their purpose;
• conducting work on geological subsoil study without entering into a contract;
• violation of the rules on account of the subsoil condition and availability of minerals reserves;
• violation of the rules on bringing the mining excavation and drill wells in condition securing for their integrity and safety of population.

Limits of sanctions for ecological administrative offences for legal entities (officials) shall be restricted by a penalty at the amount of up to thirty monthly calculating rates. For legal entities a liability is established in the form of penalties at the amount of up to two hundred and fifty monthly calculating rates.

The Tax Code of the RK provides for a tenfold increase of the payment rates for the environment pollution exceeding the established limits.

Criminal Responsibility

In case the consequences of the ecological offences are of a rather substantial nature, and provide for features of a penal action, then application of the criminal responsibility is possible towards the guilty person. The criminal responsibility may be imposed upon legal entity only.

The Civil Code provides for the application of the responsibility for the types of offences as follows:

• violation of the ecological requirements when utilizing natural resources, designing, allocating, constructing and reconstructing, commissioning and operating enterprises, constructions and other sites, operating various sites;
• violation of the rules for discharge into the atmosphere of contaminants or rules of operation of units, constructions and other sites, if this action has resulted in the pollution or another change of natural feature of the air;
• violation of the rules for subsoil protection and utilization when designing, allocating, constructing, commissioning and operating mining enterprises or underground structures, not related to the mining operations, as well as unauthorized building up of minerals bedding areas, if these actions have resulted in causing a substantial damage;
• evasion from conducting or improper conducting of deactivating or other restoration measures in the areas affected by the ecological pollution by persons, who are responsible for conducting such measures resulting in death of a person, or mass sicknesses of human beings, or other consequences for the environment.

The criminal legislation provides for the ecological offence sanctions in form of penalties up to one thousand monthly calculating rates, revocation of the right to occupy certain positions, or imprisonment for the period of up to eight years. Also, for this violation, a sanction in the form of disciplinary works for the period of up to two years is stipulated.

Civil Responsibility

Except for the administrative and criminal responsibility, the legislation of Kazakhstan provides for the application of the civil responsibility. This responsibility is expressed in reimbursement of damages caused to the natural environment by illegal acts of individuals and legal entities. According to the provisions of the Law On Environment Protection in the Republic of Kazakhstan, legal entities and individuals who have caused a damage to the environment, health of human beings, property of organizations, citizens and state due to violation of the Environment Protection Legislation, are obliged to reimburse damages pursuant to the current legislation.

Amount of such damage may be calculated based on special instructions and principles to be approved by the local authorities or central management authorities.

Should you become interested in the submitted information, or should you need any further information, we will be pleased to provide you with the relevant explanations.