“This regulation concerns air pollution prevention and control and ecological civilization construction. It is of great significance. The provisions must be further improved to make the regulation more rigid and operable, and it must be issued as soon as possible.” The provincial government's executive meeting reached a consensus. Subsequently, the provincial government's Legislative Affairs Office and other departments further revised and improved the draft, adding stricter provisions and raising the bulk cement distribution capacity for new, reconstructed, and expanded cement production and construction projects from 70% to 90%.

　　In July this year, the provincial government submitted the draft regulation to the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress for initial deliberation, which aroused heated discussion among the Standing Committee members. “Everyone agreed that the current situation of air pollution prevention and control in our province is urgent, and it is imperative to vote through this local regulation as soon as possible to provide legal guarantees for reducing air pollution.” Feng Zhiguang, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, introduced that according to the opinions of the Standing Committee members, the draft regulation added content on “preventing environmental pollution caused during the mixing of concrete and mortar” and other aspects. Because opinions were highly unified and the draft regulation was relatively mature, the regulation was smoothly passed at this meeting.

　　The regulation stipulates that enterprises producing ready-mixed concrete, ready-mixed mortar, and cement products shall use bulk cement. Within the built-up areas of prefecture-level cities, mixing concrete and mortar at construction sites is prohibited; within the urban areas where county (city) people's governments are located, mixing concrete at construction sites is prohibited, and mixing mortar shall be gradually prohibited.

　　“If the regulation is implemented, it is estimated that by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, Hebei Province's bulk cement supply will reach 97 million tons. By then, Hebei Province's cement bulk rate will reach 65%, saving 1.45 million tons of standard coal annually and reducing dust emissions by 400,000 tons, carbon dioxide emissions by 3.52 million tons, and sulfur dioxide emissions by 18,300 tons.” Li Yanming, director of the Provincial Bulk Cement Office, said with great expectation.