الرئاسة العامة للأرصاد و حماية البيئة

General Environmental Law and Rules for Implementation

28 Rajab 1422 H (15 October 2001)

General Environmental Law

Rules for Implementation

Environmental Protection Standards

Rules for Implementation

Chapter One

Article One: Definitions

The following terms shall have, as regards the Implementation of the Regulation, the following meanings unless defined otherwise:

1) The Competent Agency: The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME), previously named the Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration (MEPA).
2) The Competent Minister: Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.
3) GER: The General Environmental law.
4) Public Agency: Any ministry, department or government agency.
5) Licensing Agency: Any agency in-charge of licensing projects with potential negative impact on the environment.
6) Concerned Agency: The government agency in-charge of environment–related projects.
7) Person: Any natural or moral entity, including individuals and private establishments and companies.
8) The Environment: All that surrounds man such as water, air, land and outer space and contained by these mediums such as objects, flora, fauna, various forms of energy, ecological systems and processes and human activities.
9) Environmental Protection: Preservation of the environment and prevention of its contamination and deterioration.
10) Air: A mixture of constituent gases in their natural properties and familiar percentages, as specified in the environmental standards enclosed herein.
11) Environmental Pollution: The presence of one or more substances or factors over a period of time in quantities or properties that will directly or indirectly be harmful to public health, organisms, natural resources or property or adversely affect the life and the welfare of human beings.
12) Polluting the Environment: Any direct or indirect act or conduct by any person, whether deliberate, non-deliberate, resulting from negligence or ignorant misconduct, etc., that causes environmental pollution.
13) Environment Deterioration: The negative impact on environment that changes its general nature or characteristics or leads to non-balance of its elements, or loss of its visual beauty.
14) Pollution Incidents: Incidents that result in pollution or deterioration of the environment and are within the local or national capabilities to combat and control.
15) Environmental Disaster: An incident which causes damage to the environment and requires greater capabilities to deal with than those needed for pollution accidents.
16) Source Standards: Maximum allowable limits or percentages of the concentration of various pollutants to be discharged to the ambient environment. This includes identification of the necessary controlling techniques to comply with these limits.
17) Environmental Quality Parameters: Limits and percentages of concentrations of pollutants that are not to be exceeded in the air, water and land.
18) Environmental Standards: Both environmental quality measures and source standards.
19) Environmental Criteria: The environmental specifications and conditions to control pollution sources.
20) Projects: Any facilities, installations or activities with potential impact on the environment.
21) Project Owner: The concerned entity, or public agency, or person owning the project, supervising it or responsible for its management or operation.
22) Existing Projects: Projects started prior to the issuance of this Regulation.
23) New Projects: Projects that are awaiting commencement of construction or those that are in the stages of design, licensing or mobilization.
24) Modified Projects: Existing projects that have undergone one or more modifications and may have a potential impact on the environment. This includes: expansion of area and/or production volume; changes in operating processes; and changes in raw material types and quantities.
25) Major Change: Any expansion or change in design or operation of any existing project that might negatively affect the environment. For the purpose of this definition, any equivalent substitution in quality and capacity shall not be deemed as a major change.
26) Environmental Impacts: A set of environmental reactions arising from preparation, construction or operation of any project.
27) Environmental Assessment of the project: The study conducted to identify the potential or consequential environmental impacts of projects, the procedures and appropriate methods to prevent or minimize the negative impacts and increase or achieve positive outputs of the project on the environment, in line with the applicable environmental standards.
28) Air Pollution: Addition of materials or elements to the atmosphere or the air in a manner that could affect the quality of life and human health and welfare and cause damage to essential resources and ecological systems.
29) Surface Water: All water existing on the surface of the earth, including: sea, streams, dams (impounded water), spa and spring water.
30) Ground Water: Water existing underground.
31) Water Pollution: Direct or indirect addition of any substances or energy into the water environment causing damage to living and non-living resources, threatening human health, damaging the natural characteristics of water or hampering water-related activities such as fishing and recreation.

32) Land Pollution: Performance of any activity or the direct or indirect introduction of any substances into various types of land and soil in a manner that causes damage to any or all of its physical, chemical or biological properties; threatening human health or hampering agricultural or construction activities.
33) Oil: Includes all types and forms of crude oil and its by-products, including: liquid hydrocarbons; lubricating oils; fuel oil; refined oils; tars and oils; and all other waste produced in the process of oil refining.
34) Vessel: Any floating unit of any type, be it navigatable, secured or constructed on the surface of water.
35) Tanker: Vessel originally built or modified to carry shipments of oil, petroleum solid, liquid or gaseous substances, or any other harmful substances.
36) Discharge: Release of pollutants to ambient air, any receiving water, soil or any central treatment facility.
37) Direct Discharge: Discharge to the various environmental mediums (air, water and soil), excluding discharge to a central treatment facility.
38) Oil Transport Means: All known means of oil transportation, including vessel, tanker, truck, road tankers, or oil pipelines under the sea or on the ground surface.
39) Coast: Area where sea and land meet at the medium tidal point.
40) Coastal Range: Coastal area affected by the sea and the marine area affected by land.
41) Shoreline: The maximum limit reached by seawater on land during the highest tide.
42) Protected Area: An area of land, coast, sea or inland water which is environmentally-sensitive; with abundant vegetation and animal life; or, of a recreational, aesthetic or economic value and that requires protection.
43) Storage: All operations intended to keep or contain wastes and other hazardous, toxic or radioactive substances for the purpose of treatment, transportation or disposal.
44) Storage Pond: Any lined or unlined excavation, depression or area naturally or artificially enclosed. Typically, constructed from cement and reworked soil but which can utilize other processed materials designed for containing liquid wastes.
45) Disposal: All operations of incineration, precipitation, or intentional or unintentional, direct or indirect, discharge of any wastes or hazardous, toxic or radioactive substances, either in gaseous, liquid or solid forms, into the environment.
46) Container: Any vessel or receptacle used to hold or transport substances or wastes, including hazardous substances and wastes.
47) Offsite Location: Any location outside of the project’s site boundaries and belonging to the project.
48) Sludge: Any solid, semi-solid, liquid or precipitating wastes remaining at the bottom of tanks or containers, such as those resulting from the treatment processes of domestic, commercial or industrial sewage or potable water or produced by air pollution control devices.
49) Ground Treatment Facility: Any facility where wastes are placed or mixed with soil and/or materials are added to change the chemical or physical characteristics of the waste as a method of treatment.
50) Landfill: Any facility, other than a ground treatment facility or a storage pond, where wastes are disposed of either by placing them on the ground or burying them underground in an environmentally safe manner.
51) Waste Pile: Accumulations of non-liquid waste that has not been placed in containers, a landfill or a storage pond.
52) Treatment: Any means or techniques of altering the physical, chemical or biological properties of wastes. The intention being to neutralize the waste; utilize substances or energy contained therein or released by them; transform the hazardous wastes into ones that are non-hazardous, less hazardous or safer and suitable for transportation, storage or disposal; or reduce the volume of waste.
53) Closed Internal Treatment: The process under which waste treatment is directly related to the project’s production process and which is used to prevent waste or any of its components from leaking into the environment.
54) Maximum Allowable Limit: Specified numerical value of polluting materials that shall not be exceeded.
55) Monthly Average: Arithmetic average of pollutants values derived through the analysis of random samples calculated over thirty successive days.
56) Liquid Wastes: Liquid and semi-liquid wastes resulting from households, housing complexes, shops, public and private establishments, restaurants, factories, workshops and plant activities, including agricultural and industrial sewage wastes.
57) Hazardous Materials: Any materials classified as hazardous according to the rules and guidelines set forth by the Competent Agency in cooperation with concerned agencies and under regional and international directives.
58) Wastes: Wastes as defined in Appendix 4.
59) Hazardous Wastes: Wastes resulting from various activities and processes considered hazardous to the environment, health and public safety. It also means the hazardous wastes defined in Appendix 4.
60) Characteristics of Hazardous Wastes: Chemical, physical or biological characteristics of wastes, representing one or more of the hazardous waste substances’ characteristics referred to in Appendix 4.
61) Transportation Document: The form specified by the Competent Agency for the follow-up of hazardous waste transportation from the point of generation to the point of storage, treatment or ultimate disposal.
62) Environmental Monitoring Networks: Networks set up by the competent or concerned agency or persons, which include stations and work units, to monitor environmental components and pollutants.
63) Compensation: Compensation for damages resulting from environmental pollution of any source and whatever imposed by the provisions of regional and international agreements that the Kingdom has joined or will join, sign or endorse in future, or any compensation for environmental pollution incidents provided for by the Rules for Implementation of the General Environmental law.
64) Ballast Water: Water inside a ship or tanker that transports oil and other petroleum by-products, which is used to maintain the balance of the ship or tanker when sailing empty.
65) Ballast Water Reception Centers: Specific fixtures, equipment and ponds to receive, precipitate, treat and discharge polluted ballast water.
66) Carrying Capacity of Natural Resources: The utilization rate below which resources can naturally, or by human intervention, recharge themselves without causing permanent depletion or wastage of such resources.
67) Projects of Special Nature: Implemented projects whose activities relate directly or indirectly to security, health or national economy.
68) Environmental Awareness: The awareness of members of the community to the importance of environmental conservation, rationalization of the usage of natural resources and preventing or limiting degradation or pollution of such resources.
69) Raising Environmental Awareness: Promoting society’s knowledge of the importance of the environment and its effect on human behavior, economy and health.
70) Environmental Education: Organizing the process of promoting awareness, behavior, skills, concepts and values that lead to positive attitudes in dealing with the environment and natural resources.
71) Awareness Programs or Campaigns: Systematic and planned efforts and activities to promote environmental knowledge and raise environmental awareness.
72) Methods and Materials for Promoting Environmental Awareness: Achieving environmental awareness by all known means including the use of printed, audio or visual methods. Materials include: publications, books, films, programs and tours, etc.

Article Two: Goals

The General Environmental law and its Rules for Implementation are intended to:
1. Preserve, protect and develop the environment and safeguard it from pollution.
2. Protect public health from activities and acts that harm the environment.
3. Conserve and develop natural resources and rationalize their use.
4. Include environmental planning as an integral part of overall development planning in all industrial, agricultural, architectural and other areas.
5. Raise awareness of environmental issues and strengthen individual and collective feelings of the sole and collective responsibility for preserving and improving the environment and encourage national voluntary efforts in this area.

Chapter Two
Duties and Obligations

Article Three

Pursuant to Article Three of the General Environmental law, the Competent Agency shall be entrusted with the duties of preserving the environment and preventing its deterioration, which comprise the following:

3-1 Review and evaluate the condition of the environment, develop observational means and tools for the collection of information and conduct environmental studies.
3-1-1 Coordinate with the concerned agencies to prepare periodic reports as to the state of the Kingdom’s environmental condition and develop the environmental information, infrastructure and databases required to assess the State-Of-The-Environment.
3-1-2 Develop methods of observing and monitoring environmental pollution and deterioration in all cities, regions and territorial waters belonging to the Kingdom, including the establishment of a sufficient number of observation and monitoring site locations, stationary and mobile laboratories and other means of measurement and observation.
3-1-3 Develop an implementation plan to deploy observation and monitoring devices to follow up pollution incidents of all types.
3-1-4 Propose projects and mechanisms to implement environmental studies in a manner that covers all the environmental mediums in the Kingdom, in cooperation and coordination with the concerned agencies, research centers, national universities and regional and international centers, institutes and organizations as deemed necessary.

3-2 Document and publish the environmental information.
3-2-1 Make use of its own available environmental databases and information, and those available with public and concerned agencies and other persons, in documenting and publishing the environmental information.
3-2-2 Coordinate with the concerned agencies to establish an environmental information network and set up procedures for its development and management.
3-2-3 Establishment of procedures for circulation and exchange of environmental information for those in need of the information i.e. the concerned agencies, researchers, decision makers and other sectors of the society.
3-2-4 Document and update environmental information. Public and concerned agencies and other persons shall continuously provide the Competent Agency with the environmental information available to them.
3-2-5 Prepare and develop procedures and rules to qualify and register agencies and persons engaged in the various environmental fields.
3-2-6 Qualify and register agencies and persons engaged in the various environmental fields.
3-3 Prepare, review, develop, interpret and issue environmental protection standards.
3-3-1 Study the characteristics of various ecological systems and environmental medias, identify pollution sources and establish and prepare relevant environmental standards.
3-3-2 Coordinate with the concerned agencies to review, develop and apply environmental standards, whenever needed as identified in Appendix 1.
3-3-3 Prepare the methods and procedures for evaluating the impacts of industrial and development projects on the environment and the general guidelines for environmental impact assessment studies.
3-3-4 Coordinate with the concerned agencies to review, develop, and enhance the environmental standards, criteria and directives related to their activities.
3-4 Prepare environmental regulations relevant to its areas of responsibility.
3-4-1 Develop draft environmental regulations.
3-4-2 Coordinate with the concerned agencies to establish plans and Rules for Implementation of General Environmental law.
3-4-3 Review and develop plans and rules for implementing environmental regulations consistent with environmental requirements and changes.
3-5 Ensure that public agencies and individuals abide by the environmental regulations, standards and criteria, as well as adopt necessary procedures thereof in coordination and cooperation with the concerned and licensing agencies.
3-5-1 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned and licensing agencies to determine the necessary implementation procedures, to guarantee that public agencies and other persons adhere to environmental regulations, standards and criteria.
3-5-2 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned and licensing agencies to implement those procedures.
3-5-3 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned and licensing agencies to review, follow-up and enhance implementation procedures consistent with the environmental changes and to develop necessary technical and human capabilities thereof.
3-5-4 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned and licensing agencies to provide and develop monitoring and inspection missions to ensure commitment by public agencies and persons to environmental regulations, standards and criteria.
3-5-5 The Competent Agency shall investigate – within the period agreed upon - through the public agencies that their projects, or projects under their supervision or projects being licensed by them are committed to the environmental regulations, standards and criteria, to the extent needed to ensure adherence to the General Environmental law and its Rules for Implementation.
3-5-6 Authorize any agency to perform some of the environmental functions assigned to the Competent Agency.
3-5-7 Urge agencies engaged in production or service-based activities and industrial facilities to apply environmental management systems.
3-6 Review the latest developments in the field of the environment and its management at the regional and international levels.
3-6-1 Review environmental developments at regional and international levels, and coordinate with the concerned agencies and national focal points as regards regional and international environmental commitments and follow up their implementation on the national level.
3-6-2 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned and public agencies to develop a national environmental contingency plan to counter environmental disasters.
3-6-3 Coordinate national positions with regards to international and regional environmental protocols and conventions.
3-6-4 Follow-up environmental memorandums of understanding. Cooperate and coordinate efforts with the concerned agencies towards activation.
3-6-5 Follow-up the implementation of provisions and protocols of international and regional environmental agreements, and coordinate with the concerned agencies and national focal points to execute the Kingdom’s obligations.
3-6-6 Coordinate efforts with international, national and regional environmental organizations and government agencies in order to benefit from such organizations’ efforts in the follow-up of the implementation of obligations resulting from international agreements.
3-6-7 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned and public agencies to benefit from scholarships, training and workshop programs organized by international and regional organizations and agencies in the field of the environment.
3-6-8 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned agencies to benefit from bilateral agreements with regards to environmental cooperation.
3-7 Promote environmental awareness at all levels.
3-7-1 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned agencies to develop strategies for environmental education, awareness and media and the implementation of such plans that are developed.
3-7-2 Mobilize moral and materialistic efforts and individuals and persons to implement the environmental awareness strategy, programs and plans.
3-7-3 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned agencies, individuals and persons to utilize regional, national and international events in promoting environmental awareness.
3-7-4 Support the efforts of agencies concerned with training and education to develop environmental education programs and curricula.
3-7-5 Coordinate efforts with international and regional organizations and programs to sustain national environmental awareness programs.
3-7-6 Encourage and stimulate efforts of all agencies and other persons to promote environmental knowledge and awareness.
3-7-7 Issue materials and develop programs to raise environmental awareness. Cooperate with the concerned agencies and persons to utilize the support, facilities and programs they provide to promote environmental knowledge and awareness.

Article Four
4-1 Each public agency must adopt appropriate actions to ensure that the Rules set forth herein are applied on their projects or projects under their supervision or those licensed by the public agency, and ensure commitment to environmental regulations, criteria and standards stated in the General Environmental law and its Rules for Implementation.
4-1-1 Public agencies shall develop instructions and implementation procedures and Rules for Implementation, in order to enforce the implementation of General Environmental law and its Rules for Implementation, upon their persons, or their projects, or projects under its supervision or licensed by it.
4-1-2 Public agencies shall hold persons and their projects, or those supervised by or licensed by such public agencies, responsible for implementing all the Rules for Implementation of the General Environmental law and its associated implementation procedures. Each person shall be held responsible for environmental transgressions and violations falling within his area of operations regardless of them being a contractor or subcontractor.
4-1-3 Environmental standards and criteria issued or to be issued, amended or supplemented by the Competent Agency shall be considered Appendices to the Rules for Implementation and a complementary part thereto.
4-1-4 Licensing and concerned public agencies shall ensure that environmental works related to their projects are carried out by contractors qualified for such works according to the methodology and the criteria stipulated in General Environmental law Appendix 3.
4-1-5 Concerned, public and licensing agencies shall notify the Competent Agency of all incidents and violations periodically in the reports submitted to the Competent Agency. When an unexpected negative environmental impact or pollution incident occurs, these agencies shall notify the Competent Agency immediately.
4-2 All public agencies responsible for the issuance of standards, specifications or rules relating to the practical implementation of activities that may impact the environment must coordinate with the Competent Agency before their issuance.
4-2-1 All agencies shall coordinate with the Competent Agency before issuing, updating or amending any standards, criteria or rules relating to the practice of activities affecting the environment.
4-2-2 Pursuant to Paragraph 2 of Article IV of the General Environmental law regarding environmental standards, criteria, specifications, guidelines and rules issued by public agencies prior to the issuance of the General Environmental law, the public and concerned agencies shall coordinate with the Competent Agency to review previously issued environmental standards, criteria, specifications, guidelines and rules for amendment or update, if needed, pursuant to the guidelines and instructions issued by the Competent Agency.

Article Five

Licensing agencies must verify that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies for projects that may cause negative effects on the environment are conducted at the project feasibility stage. The agency in charge of implementation of the project shall be responsible for conducting the EIA studies in accordance with the environmental fundamentals and standards specified by the Competent Agency in the Rules for Implementation.

5-1 Public, concerned and licensing agencies and other persons responsible for project implementation or operation shall conduct EIA studies in accordance with the environmental fundamentals and standards, criteria and procedures as explained in Appendix 2.
5-2 Public, concerned and licensing agencies shall ensure that projects environmental assessment studies are conducted at the project feasibility stage in accordance with the environmental fundamentals, standards, criteria and procedures as explained in Appendix 2.
5-3 The Licensing agency shall ensure that the EIA studies are carried out during the project feasibility study phase in accordance with the environmental fundamentals and standards as explained in the Appendices to the Rules for Implementation.
5-4 Concerned, public and licensing agencies engaged in any of the various environmental activities, working in the field of protecting and developing natural resources, or licensing industrial and development projects that have potential adverse environmental impacts, shall coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure commitment to conducting EIA studies in accordance with the environmental standards and fundamentals as explained in Appendix 2.

5-5 Public and concerned agencies and other persons in-charge of implementing or operating projects shall periodically provide the Competent Agency with a statement advising that they are in compliance with the environmental standards and guidelines.
5-6 Whenever the Competent Agency determines that the concerned agencies, persons or agencies executing projects have not fulfilled the requirements of EIA studies submitted along with the feasibility studies, or have not complied with the requirements, guidelines and comments made on submitted EIA study, coordination shall be made with the concerned and licensing agencies to take necessary actions that will achieve commitment to, and compliance with, the requirements of EIA studies.

Article Six

The party executing new projects, making major modifications to existing projects, or owning projects whose specified terms of investment have expired must utilize the best possible and most suitable technologies for the local environment and use materials which introduce the lowest possible level of pollution to the environment.
6-1 Licensing of new projects, major modifications to existing projects or projects owned as a result of the expiry terms of investment shall require that public, concerned and licensing agencies and other persons executing such projects, prior to commencement of activities take into consideration the results of the EIA study. All parties shall endeavor to use the best possible, internationally tested technologies that are suitable to the local environment, and to use materials that result in minimal pollution to the environment. In addition, the agencies shall be committed to using technologies that are suitable for the treatment of waste or post-operative toxic emissions in accordance with the environmental standards, criteria and guidelines specified in the Appendices of the Rules for Implementation.
6-2 Public, concerned and licensing agencies shall, in coordination with the Competent Agency, take necessary and sufficient actions to implement the stipulations identified in Paragraph 6-1.
6-3 Public, concerned and licensing agencies and persons executing major modifications to existing projects and those that own projects whose specified investment periods has expired, shall undertake to remediate the environment to the best possible extent and to restore the environment to its previous condition, in accordance with the environmental regulations, guidelines and standards set forth by the Competent Agency in coordination with the concerned and licensing agencies.
6-4 The Competent Agency and the concerned agencies shall, in coordination with scientific research centers and agencies specialized in technology, conduct periodic inventory, every five (5) years, of the latest available technologies suitable for the local environment.

Article Seven
7-1 Agencies in-charge of education must include environmental concepts in curricula at various stages of education.
7-1-1 In coordination with the Competent Agency, agencies concerned with education shall incorporate environmental concepts into the curriculum for general and higher education and training programs.
7-1-2 Concerned agencies shall take necessary actions to develop current environmental concepts into the curriculum for general and higher education and training programs that are in-line with the latest environmental advancements and developments.
7-1-3 Agencies concerned with education and training shall motivate and develop extra-curricular activities and programs to promote environmental awareness.
7-2 Agencies in-charge of mass media must sustain environmental awareness in various mass media and support the concept of environmental protection from the Islamic perspective.
7-2-1 The Competent Agency shall cooperate with the public, concerned agencies and persons in planning specialized environmental forums and conferences as well as workshops and training courses in the field of the environment to enhance and publicize environmental awareness and the concept of environmental protection from the Islamic perspective.
7-2-2 Concerned agencies and the Competent Agency shall cooperate and coordinate to develop a national plan to promote and develop environmental education and awareness programs, utilizing national, regional and international events, exhibitions, workshops, forums, conferences and environmental contests to publicize environmental awareness and strengthen concepts of environmental preservation and protection from the Islamic perspective.
7-3 Agencies in-charge of Islamic Affairs, Da’wah and guidance must enhance the role of mosques in encouraging the community to preserve and protect the environment.
7-3-1 The Competent Agency shall support and follow up efforts of the agencies responsible for Islamic Affairs, Da’wah and guidance in emphasizing the role of mosques in urging the community to preserve and protect the environment and publicize the concept of environmental protection from the Islamic perspective.
7-4 Concerned agencies must establish appropriate training programs to increase capabilities in the field of preserving and protecting the environment.
7-4-1 The Competent Agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the concerned agencies to support their efforts in establishing and enhancing appropriate training programs to increase capabilities in the field of preserving and protecting the environment
7-4-2 The Competent Agency and the concerned agencies shall coordinate with scientific research centers, scientific institutes and agencies engaged in environmental activities to establish and enhance training programs in various environmental fields.
7-4-3 The Competent Agency and the concerned agencies shall coordinate with regional and international organizations, agencies and scientific research centers to utilize the training programs provided by such organizations, agencies and centers to increase national capabilities in the area of environment and its protection and preservation.
7-4-4 The Competent Agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the concerned agencies to utilize bilateral cooperation agreements in the area of environmental protection agreed between the Kingdom and other Arab and friendly countries, to establish mutual training programs to increase capabilities in preserving and protecting the environment.
Article Eight
Pursuant to Article VIII of the General Environmental law, and without prejudice to the regulations and instructions, public agencies and persons shall observe the following:
8-1 Rationalize the use of natural resources to preserve and prolong the reserve life of non-renewable resources and to develop renewable resources.
8.1.1 Public agencies and persons shall abide by all procedures that protect and rationalize the use of natural resources.
8.1.2 Coordinate and cooperate with the Competent Agency to establish a national plan for protecting, conserving and rationalizing the use of ecological systems and natural resources.
8.1.3 Coordinate and cooperate with the Competent Agency to establish contingency plans for protecting ecological systems and natural resources.
8.1.4 Coordinate and cooperate with the Competent Agency to establish an action plan to restore and rehabilitate deteriorated ecological systems and natural resources.
8.1.5 Coordinate and cooperate with the Competent Agency to benefit from programs and activities planned by regional and international agencies and organizations that are intended to protect, preserve and develop ecological systems and natural resources.
8.1.6 Encourage and support the use of the technologies and practices aimed at minimizing and rationalization of the use of natural resources, whilst maintaining or increasing production efficiency.

8.1.7 Public, concerned and licensing agencies and the Competent Agency are to undertake to cooperate and coordinate in areas of their jurisdiction, to prevent the deterioration of natural resources caused by unlawful human exploitation.
8.2 Achieve coherence between the bearing capacity of the resources and utilization levels of the various resource categories.
8-2-1 Public agencies and the Competent Agency shall coordinate to conduct an inventory of all ecological systems and natural resources in the Kingdom. This will include establishing, enhancing and preparing databases, maps and photographs for these systems and resources such that they may be utilized in developing protection, preservation, conservation and rationalization plans. Such information shall be updated as required and as specified by the Competent Agency.
8-2-2 Public, concerned and licensing agencies shall incorporate into their development plans and projects, all procedures, recommendations and conditions designed to achieve coherence between the utilization rates of natural resources and their bearing capacity.
8-3 Apply recycling technologies and reuse of resources.
8-3-1 Coordinate with the Competent Agency to develop and implement a national plan for recycling wastes and reuse of resources.
8-3-2 Encourage those agencies that adopt recycling of wastes and reuse of resources.
8-3-3 Coordinate to develop a national information dissemination plan focusing on the importance of reuse, development and protection of resources. Encourage the organization of scientific and specialized workshops, forums and conferences related to the promotion of recycling technologies and reuse of resources and development of cultural inherited techniques.
8-4 Develop conventional technologies and traditional systems that are coherent with the local and regional environmental conditions.
8-4-1 Encourage and motivate scientific research centers and institutions to conduct scientific studies related to maintaining and enhancing traditional systems and nurturing environment friendly alternatives. Further, encourage and motivate said facility to adopt the required policies to promote the use of such traditional technologies systems.
8-5 Promote the technologies associated with traditional building materials.
8-5-1 Encourage institutes, scientific study and research centers to conduct scientific research to develop the technologies, materials and traditional building design and to adopt the required policies to encourage the use and development of such technologies.
8-5-2 Coordinate with the Competent Agency to conduct scientific studies and researches relating to pollution sources associated with traditional building materials and their effect on human beings, and encourage the application and implementation of the outcomes of such studies.
8-5-3 Coordinate and cooperate to develop provisions and controls for the utilization of natural resources in traditional building techniques, as well as protecting it and rationalizing its use.

Article Nine
9-1 In coordination and cooperation with the concerned agencies, the Competent Agency shall develop an environmental disaster management plan based on an inventory of local, regional and international capabilities.
9-1-1 Public and concerned agencies and persons shall establish and enhance environmental disaster management plans, and the Competent Agency shall cooperate with such agencies in developing and implementing these plans as required.
9-1-2 The Competent Agency shall cooperate and coordinate with regional and international organizations, agencies and programs to benefit from training programs associated with management of environmental disasters.
9-1-3 In cooperation and coordination with public and concerned agencies, the Competent Agency shall coordinate and mobilize regional and international efforts to respond to environmental disasters and mobilize capabilities to
9-1-4 overcome obstacles that impede the combating, tracking, monitoring and control of the environmental disaster in accordance with bilateral cooperation agreements and applicable regional and international agreements and conventions.
9-2 Concerned agencies shall establish and enhance emergency plans, as required, to protect the environment from pollution hazards resulting from emergencies caused by their projects during the performance of their activities.
9-2-1 The National Plan for Combating Marine Environment Pollution with Oil and Other Harmful Substances in Emergencies, approved by the Council of Ministers’ decision No 157, dated 20 Dhu al-Qa’dah 1411 [3 June 1991], Appendix 5, shall be considered as part of the Rules for Implementation. The Competent Agency, in coordination and cooperation with the public and concerned agencies specified in the National Plan, shall develop implementation plans to activate the National Plan.
9-2-2 Concerned agencies and persons shall verify emergency plans required for environmental protection from pollution resulting from their projects, and periodically review these plans and coordinate efforts for their implementation.
9-2-3 Concerned agencies and persons shall provide trained and qualified technical manpower as well as equipment needed to activate emergency environmental pollution protection plans in projects under their supervision, and develop and implement the required training plans to activate and implement such plans.
9-2-4 Concerned agencies and persons shall immediately report to the Competent Agency any pollution emergency incident. They shall also promptly activate emergency plans required to protect the environment in case of pollution and make sure that such implementation is effective.
9-2-5 The concerned agencies and persons shall coordinate with the Competent Agency responsible for the assessment of environmental damage resulting from emergency pollution incidents.
9-3 Each person who supervises a project or a facility, which has the potential for causing adverse impacts on the environment, shall prepare emergency plans to prevent or alleviate the hazards of such impacts and have sufficient means to implement these plans.
9-3-1 Persons responsible for projects shall provide trained and qualified manpower as well as the required equipment and technologies needed to develop and implement emergency plans for preventing or alleviating potential adverse environmental impacts of such projects.
9-3-2 Persons responsible for projects shall ensure that the emergency plans prevent or alleviate the risks of potential adverse environmental impacts of such projects to the minimum and comply with the environmental standards, criteria and guidelines as specified in Appendix 1 of the Rules for Implementation.
9-4 In coordination with the concerned agencies, the Competent Agency shall conduct periodical reviews of the suitability of emergency plans.
9-4-1 Concerned, public and licensing agencies and other persons shall periodically review the emergency plans that protect the environment from pollution or prevent or reduce the potential adverse impacts on the environment in projects operated, supervised or licensed by them. They shall develop such plans as required and coordinate with the Competent Agency in this respect.
9-4-2 The Competent Agency shall cooperate with the concerned, public and licensing agencies to review the emergency plans and initiate suitable amendments.
9-4-3 Persons supervising projects shall coordinate with the Competent Agency and the concerned agencies to conduct periodical trial drills with regards to the implementation of the emergency plans in order to determine the effectiveness and readiness of equipment and agencies participating in the implementation of such plans.

Article Ten
Environmental aspects must be taken into consideration in planning for projects and programs, in the development plans for the various sectors and in the General Development Plan. These environmental aspects shall be taken into consideration in a manner that achieves sustainable development objectives, especially in the following agencies:
10-1 The concerned agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the health strategy and its required implementation plans.
10-2 The concerned agency shall take into consideration the environmental aspects in the planning process for the projects, programs and developmental plans to manage and develop the natural resources, rationalize the use of natural resources and implement plans deemed necessary thereto.
10-3 The concerned agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the industrial strategy and its required implementation plans.
10-4 The concerned agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the national urban development strategy and its required implementation plans.
10-5 The concerned agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the agricultural strategy and its required implementation plans.
10-6 The concerned agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure that environmental considerations are incorporated into the tourism strategy and its required implementation plans.
10-7 The concerned agency shall cooperate and coordinate with the Competent Agency to ensure that environmental information and awareness are incorporated into the mass media strategy and to sustain the feeling of responsibility for protecting, conserving, developing and improving its natural resources among individuals and the society.
10-8 The Competent Agency and the concerned agencies shall cooperate and coordinate to prepare and implement the national coastal zones plans for the management and development of the coastal regions and the necessary implementation of regulations thereto.

Article Eleven
11.1 Each person responsible for designing or operating any project or activity shall ensure that such design and operation is in compliance with the applicable regulations and standards.
11-1-1 A project owner or proprietor undertakes to conduct environmental studies to assess the environmental impacts of the project, and shall comply with the outcome of the environmental impact assessment study, in accordance with the environmental standards, criteria and guidelines specified in the Appendices of the Rules for Implementation of the General Environmental law, or any subsequent amendments and supplements thereafter.
11-1-2 Persons responsible for operating any project that has a potential of adverse environmental impact, shall install automated instruments consistent with the project size to observe and monitor the environmental parameters and provide the Competent Agency with the output and results generated by such instruments when required, after coordination with the concerned or licensing agencies.
11-1-3 An owner, proprietor or operator of a project shall comply with the environmental specifications, criteria, standards and guidelines specified in (Appendices 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) and any subsequent supplements or amendments thereafter.
11.2 Any person engaged in an activity with potential adverse environmental impacts shall take the appropriate actions to limit such impacts or minimize the probability of their occurrence.
11-2-1 Any person engaged in an activity with potential adverse environmental impacts shall fully abide by and implement the environmental standards and guidelines set forth in the Appendices to the Rules for Implementation.

11.2.1 Any person who performs an act that causes environmental pollution or adverse environmental impacts shall take all necessary actions to immediately stop such pollution, remove the adverse impacts, treat their effects and remediate the damaged environment in the manner that is determined by the Competent Agency after coordination with the concerned agency and in accordance with the Rules for Implementation. Further, this is to be undertaken within the specified period and to the degree that is required to compensate for existing and consequential damage resulting from the pollution. If such person fails to fulfill these obligations, he will incur all costs resulting from the process of stopping the pollution, monitoring, follow-up and remediation of all damages caused by the pollution.

Article Twelve
12.1 Anyone performing digging, demolition, construction, or debris and earth transportation works must take necessary precautions for safe storage and transportation of any waste, as well as the proper treatment and disposal of such waste.
12.1.1 All public agencies and persons engaged in any activity or work causing or generating waste or dust shall comply with all the conditions established by the concerned, licensing or public agencies or the Competent Agency regarding the handling, transportation, storage, treatment and disposal of such wastes and dust.
12.1.2 In cooperation and coordination with the Competent Agency, the concerned agencies shall determine the procedures relating to final disposal of wastes generated by excavation, demolition and construction activities and ensure that all the precautions necessary for the protection of the environment and its natural resources have been taken.
12.2 All smoke, gases or vapors and solid or liquid residue resulting from the burning of any kind of fuel or similar, whether for industrial, power generation or other activities, must be within allowable limits as permitted in the environmental standards.
12.2.1 When burning any kind of fuel or other substances, the concerned agencies shall require persons burning any kind of fuel or others to use the appropriate means and technologies so that gaseous, solid or liquid wastes generated by burning from stationary or mobile sources shall be within the permitted environmental standards and criteria set forth in Appendices (1) and (4).
12.2.2 When burning any kind of fuel or other substances for any purpose, the concerned agencies and persons shall employ the most appropriate means, technologies and suitable alternatives to minimize adverse environmental impacts to the lowest level.
12.3 The owner of the facility must take all necessary precautions and measures to ensure that there is no leaking or emission of air pollutants to the work place beyond the allowable limits of the environmental standards.
12.3.1 The agencies concerned with the environment of the workplace shall coordinate and cooperate with the Competent Agency to prepare, review, develop and implement work based environmental standards whenever deemed necessary.
12.3.2 The concerned agencies shall require persons and agencies responsible for workplaces to take all means and possible precautions to comply with work environment standards, improve the work environment and minimize the possibility of exposure to pollution.
12.3.3 The concerned, public and licensing agencies and the Competent Agency shall coordinate with persons in following up cases of illness resulting from deterioration of the work environment and its interactions.
12.3.4 Persons shall bear all costs of treatment for illnesses resulting from the deterioration of the indoor work environment and exposure to pollution within the project, when such situations are confirmed in accordance with the relevant regulations.
12.4 Adequate ventilation requirements must be applied in enclosed and semi-enclosed public places according to the size and space capacity of the place and the kind of activity carried out in the place.
12.4.1 The public, concerned and licensing agencies shall coordinate and cooperate with the Competent Agency to prepare, review and develop the technical requirements for ventilation in closed and semi-closed facilities in a manner adequate to the area and capacity of the facility and the type and size of activity exercised.
12.4.2 The public, concerned and licensing agencies shall follow-up the implementation of the technical requirements for ventilation in all enclosed and semi-enclosed areas within facilities.
In compliance with the following paragraph, which reads: “The Rules for Implementation shall determine environmental precautions, measures, methods and environmental standards” as mentioned in the Rules for Implementation, Article XII of the General Environmental law, the standards, criteria, guidelines and environmental procedures, as well as the specified instructions, precautions and measures that have been or will be issued and all supplements or amendments thereto shall be considered as an integral complementary part of the Rules for Implementation of the General Environmental law.

Article Thirteen
All persons engaged in production, servicing or other activities shall take the necessary actions pursuant to the environmental standards and criteria issued by the Competent Agency, as mandated in the General Environmental law:
13.1 Prevent direct or indirect contamination of surface, ground and coastal waters that may be caused by solid or liquid residues.
13.1.1 Comply with the environmental standards and criteria set forth in the Appendices to the Rules for Implementation and coordinate with the appropriate public agency to ensure their implementation.
13.1.2 To employ the best available technologies and means and take the necessary precautions to avoid contamination of surface, ground and coastal waters; and, control and minimize pollution in accordance with the approved environmental criteria.
13.1.3 Remove all forms of contamination from surface, ground or coastal waters resulting from the said activities and bear all the costs of the prevention, control and curbing contamination and remediation of the contaminated environment and compensate the aggrieved parties.
13.1.4 Prevent the discharge into surface, ground or coastal waters of any type of solid or liquid waste which due to its concentrations of elements, or organic or inorganic compounds may be classified as hazardous.
13.2 Preserve the soil and land and curb its deterioration or contamination.
13.2.2 To take all precautions required to prevent and control contamination and deterioration of soil and land, remediate deteriorated and contaminated soil and use the best available means and technologies for this purpose in accordance with the environmental standards and criteria.
13.2.3 Coordinate and cooperate with the concerned agency to establish the terms, arrangements and precautions required to guarantee compliance with the environmental standards, criteria and guidelines stipulated in the Appendices to the Rules for Implementation.
13-3 Limit noise pollution, particularly when operating machinery or other equipment or using horns or loudspeakers. Noise levels shall not exceed allowable environmental standard limits set forth in the Rules for Implementation.
13.3.1 Coordinate and cooperate with the Concerned Agency to develop and implement the environmental standards, criteria and guidelines for noise pollution and employ best available and possible means to control and reduce the noise level.
13.3.2 Undertake to use technologies and equipment with low noise levels in new projects, and upgrade technologies and equipment used in existing activities in order to attain allowable noise levels.

Article Fourteen
14.1 Hazardous, poisonous or radioactive wastes are prohibited from entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
14.1.1 All agencies and persons commit themselves to all local regulations, standards, guidelines and instructions concerning the production, circulation, storage, treatment, recycling and transportation of hazardous, toxic or radioactive wastes.
14.1.2 The Competent Agency, public and concerned agencies shall abide by the provisions of regional and international agreements and conventions ratified by the Kingdom, and their articles, protocols, and Appendices on chemical, toxic, hazardous and radioactive wastes and their cross-border transportation, circulation, storage and disposal. Such agreements, conventions, appendices and protocols shall be considered an integral and complimentary part of the Appendices to the Rules for Implementation.
14.2 Persons in-charge of the production, transportation, storage, recycling, treatment and final disposal of poisonous, hazardous or radioactive materials must comply with the procedures and controls set forth in the Rules for Implementation.
14.2.1 In cooperation and coordination with the concerned agencies, the Competent Agency shall follow up the implementation of standards, criteria, regulations and procedures that organize the production, transportation, storage, recycling, treatment or disposal of toxic or hazardous materials as indicated in Appendix 4.
14.2.2 Individuals in-charge of the production, transportation, storage, recycling, treatment or final disposal of toxic, hazardous and radioactive materials shall comply with the licenses issued to them by the concerned agencies and the Competent Agency. In case there is any change in the type of activity, volume or owner, coordination shall be made with the concerned and licensing agencies and the Competent Agency to obtain the approval required for such change.
14.2.3 In cooperation and coordination with the concerned agencies, the Competent Agency shall review and develop the standards, criteria, regulations and procedures relating to hazardous materials.
14.2.4 The concerned agencies and persons shall be fully responsible, as part of their activities and projects, for incidents of environmental pollution with toxic, hazardous or radioactive wastes and materials during the stages of production, transportation, storage or recycling and they have to report such incidents to the public, concerned and licensing agencies immediately. The party that caused such incident shall bear all the costs of pollution control, abatement, treatment and remediation of the polluted environment as well as compensation for damages caused by such pollution incidents.
14.2.5 The concerned and public agencies and persons and the Competent Agency shall cooperate and coordinate to develop and implement training programs on the handling, production, transportation, storage, recycling, treatment and disposal of waste, toxic, hazardous and radioactive materials.
14.2.6 No persons or agencies are allowed to dispose of toxic, hazardous or radioactive materials without license from the Competent Agency in accordance with the procedures and conditions indicated in Appendix (4).
14.3 Any harmful pollutants, poisonous, hazardous or radioactive wastes are prohibited from being disposed of, or discharged from vessels or alike in the Kingdom’s territorial waters or its exclusive economic zone.
14.3.1 The Competent Agency and the concerned and public agencies shall cooperate and coordinate efforts to develop and implement a national plan to monitor and review the prevention of vessels from dumping or discharging any harmful pollutants, or chemical, toxic, hazardous or radioactive wastes in the Kingdom’s territorial waters or within its exclusive economic zone.
14.3.2 The Competent Agency and the public and concerned agencies shall cooperate and coordinate to support efforts to implement international and regional agreements and conventions that have been ratified by the Kingdom to control dumping or discharge of any harmful pollutants or chemical, toxic, hazardous or radioactive wastes in the Kingdom’s territorial waters or within its exclusive economic zone.
14.3.3 In cooperation and coordination with the concerned agencies, the Competent Agency shall apply the regulations, instructions, agreements and conventions relating to compensation for environmental damage caused by dumping or discharge of any harmful pollutants or chemical, toxic waste, hazardous or radioactive materials in the Kingdom’s territorial waters or within its exclusive economic zone and charge agencies and persons responsible for contamination with all costs and damages resulting from monitoring, fighting and control operations as well as costs associated with the remediation of the contaminated environment.

Article Fifteen
Projects existing at the time of the issuance of the General Environmental law shall be given a maximum term of five years as grace period before enforcement, so that these projects can organize themselves accordingly. If the said term is not sufficient for projects of a special nature then an extension may be granted by a decision from the Council of Ministers based on the proposal of the Competent Minister.
15.1 In cooperation and coordination with the Competent Agency, the concerned and licensing agencies shall conduct an environmental review of the current environmental status of existing projects and prepare an implementation plan to mitigate or gradually avoid the adverse environmental impacts of such projects within the grace period specified by the General Environmental law.
15.2 Existing projects shall apply all implementation plans prepared by the concerned and licensing agencies in cooperation and coordination with the Competent Agency to rearrange their status in accordance with the Rules for Implementation.
15.3 Existing projects shall prepare an interim plan to rectify their status in a manner that guarantees compliance with environmental standards, criteria and guidelines within the specified grace period. Such a plan shall be provided to the licensing agency and the Competent Agency in addition to a periodical report indicating the extent of their compliance with implementation procedures to rectify the status.
15.4 The public agencies shall coordinate with the Competent Agency and take all necessary procedures and monitoring of existing projects, according to the mechanism specified in Article 15 of the General Environmental law, to conserve the environment and prevent against deterioration of the environment.
15.5 The concerned and public agencies and persons responsible for supervising existing projects of a special nature shall observe the grace period specified in the General Environmental law to arrange their status. However, if it becomes apparent to the Competent Agency, in coordination with the concerned agencies, that the grace period granted to projects of a special nature is insufficient for arranging their status and meeting the environmental requirements, the Competent Minister may solicit the Council of Ministers to extend the grace period for an appropriate period.

Article Sixteen
Commitment to environmental protection regulations and standards must be a conditional pre-requisite for receiving loans for projects from lending agencies.
Pursuant to Article (16) of the General Environmental law, Lending Funds shall abide by:
16.1 Obligate owners of new projects to submit, as part of the feasibility studies, an environmental impact assessment study, which shall demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations and standards. This shall be considered to be an essential pre-condition to achieve approval for the loan.
16.2 Obligate project owners to abide by environmental regulations, standards, criteria and guidelines at all stages of preparation, construction and operation of the project. This shall be considered to be an essential pre-condition to enable payment of loan installments.
16.3 Obligate owners of existing projects who request loans for modifying or expanding their projects to submit an environmental impact assessment study that demonstrates compliance with environmental regulations, standards, criteria and guidelines. This shall be considered to be an essential pre-condition when considering the approval of loans or their payments.

CHAPTER 3
Violations and Penalties
Article Seventeen

17.1 When it is confirmed to the Competent Agency that any of the environmental criteria and standards have been violated, it shall coordinate with the agencies concerned and obligate the violator to do the following:

(a) Eliminate any negative impacts and stop them. Rectify their effects, within a specified time, as required by the environmental criteria and standards.
(b) Submit a report showing the steps taken by the violator to prevent future recurrence of the violations of the criteria and standards. The proposed steps must meet the approval of the Competent Agency.
After consultation with the provisions of the General Environmental law the concerned and licensing agencies may consider the following to be violations and contraventions:
17.1.1 Violation of any environmental standard, condition or guideline set forth in Appendix (1).
17.1.2 Failure to promptly report pollution incidents or the adverse impacts arising from project operations, or exceeding the pollution levels set forth in environmental standards included in Appendix (1).
17.1.3 Failure to comply with any of the steps or procedures specified by the Competent Agency to stop or to remove the violations and treat their effects and prevent their recurrence.

17.1.4 Failure to comply with the period specified by the Competent Agency after coordination with the relevant agency to stop and eliminate any adverse impacts and to treat the effects of such violations.
17.1.5 Withholding environmental information from the Competent or Public Agency in the event of a violation of any of the standards and conditions, or providing incorrect or in-factual information or measurements of environmental parameters.
17.1.6 Impeding or preventing employees designated by a decision of the Competent Agency from performing their duties set forth in the General Environmental law.
17.1.7 Misuse of measurement, detection, monitoring and control devices, or interfering with their performance or operation.
17.1.8 Non-abidance by failure to develop and activate environmental emergency plans to respond to pollution accidents; or failure to provide the personnel, devices and equipment required for the operation and implementation of the emergency plans; or failure to conduct the periodic maintenance programs required for such devices and equipment.
17.1.9 Any other case that may arise, or be decided upon by the Competent Agency in coordination with concerned or licensing agencies.
17.2 If the situation is not rectified according to what is mentioned here-above, the Competent Agency shall in coordination with the concerned agencies or the licensing agencies, take necessary actions to force the violator to correct his situation in accordance with the provisions of the General Environmental law.
17.2.1 In coordination with the concerned and licensing agencies, the Competent Agency shall take the necessary actions to force the violator to rectify the situation resulting from the violations mentioned in Paragraph (a) of Article 17 of the General Environmental law, as well as their environmental impacts and complications and bear all costs incurred to remove such damage.
17.2.2 The Competent Minister may define and identify projects of a special nature that shall be subject to the required grace period given to arrange their conditions in accordance with the provisions of the General Environmental law and its Rules for Implementation.

Article Eighteen
18.1 Subject to Article (230) of UN Marine Convention ratified by the Royal Decree No. (M/17) dated 11 Ramadan 1416, and without prejudice to any severe penalty imposed by Islamic laws or provided for in other regulations, whoever violates the provisions of Article fourteen of the General Environmental law shall be punished by imprisonment for a term not to exceed five years, by a fine not to exceed SR 500,000 or both. An appropriate compensation shall be ordered and the violator shall be obligated to eliminate the violation. The facility may be closed or the vessel detained for a period not exceeding ninety days. In case of recurrence, the maximum limit of imprisonment shall be raised but may not exceed double the initial term, or the maximum limit of the fine shall be increased but may not exceed double the initial fine or both. An appropriate compensation shall be ordered and the violator shall be obligated to eliminate the violation. The facility may be temporarily or permanently closed or the vessel temporarily detained or confiscated.
18.1.1 If any toxic, chemical, hazardous or radioactive wastes brought into the Kingdom or its territorial waters or exclusive economic zone should cause any environmental or health damages (or similar), the violator shall be required to remove the violation and bear all the costs arising from its adverse impacts.
18.1.2 If the concerned agencies conclude that toxic, hazardous or radioactive wastes were brought, or were attempted to be brought into the Kingdom, its territorial waters or exclusive economic zone with the intent of undermining the Kingdom’s national security, or that such act is of a criminal nature, the violator shall be referred to the competent security agencies to impose the penalties set forth in the regulations prevailing in the Kingdom.
18.1.3 All agencies undertake to implement procedures and controls specified in the Rules for Implementation, which regulate the production, transport, storage, recycling, treatment or final disposal of toxic, hazardous or radioactive materials. The violator shall bear all costs that have resulted or may result from his failure to comply with these procedures and controls. If such an act causes loss of lives or permanent deformities or disabilities, the violator shall be referred to the concerned agency to impose upon him the appropriate penalties and fines.
18.2 Without prejudice to any severe penalty imposed by other regulations, the one who violates any of the provisions of other articles of the Rules for Implementation shall be subject to a fine not to exceed SR 10,000, and the violator shall be obligated to remove the violation. In case of recurrence, the violator shall be punished by increasing the maximum limit of the fine but not to exceed double this limit, and shall be required to remove the violation. The facility may be closed for a period not exceeding ninety days.
18.2.1 Anyone who impedes or refuses to provide assistance or prevents employees specified in Article Nineteen of the General Environmental law from performing their assigned duties shall be fined as provided for in the attached schedule. In coordination with the concerned agencies and persons, the Competent Agency shall issue and dispatch a warning to the person causing the above-mentioned acts and take all necessary procedural actions to prevent its recurrence.
18.2.2 Without prejudice to any greater penalty stipulated in any other regulations, a violator of any environmental standard or criterion shall be fined an amount not to exceed SR 10,000 for each environmental standard or criterion of the standards and criteria set forth in Appendix (1).
18.2.3 Anyone not abiding by the provisions of Paragraph 17.1.2 herein shall be subject to a fine not to exceed SR 10,000 and shall bear all costs and damages resulting from his failure to promptly report pollution incidents, the adverse impacts of project operation or leaving out of environmental standards and conditions specified in Appendix (1).
18.2.4 A violator of the provisions of Paragraph 17.1.3 herein shall be subject to a fine not to exceed SR 10,000 and shall bear all costs and damages resulting from his failure to comply with the steps and procedures specified by the Competent Agency to remove the damages or the violations of environmental standards and criteria specified in Appendix (1).
18.2.5 Violators of the provisions of Paragraph 17.1.4 hereof shall be penalized a fine of an amount not to exceed SR 10,000, and shall bear all costs resulting from failure to remove the violations and their resulting impacts and complications on the environment.
18.2.6 Any violator of the provisions of Article 17.1.5 herein shall be subject to a fine not to exceed SR 10,000.
18.2.7 If the Competent Agency concludes that the violator of environmental standards, criteria and instructions as indicated in the paragraphs of Article Seventeen herein is unable to stop, limit or prevent the violations, the Competent Agency may, in coordination with the concerned agencies, take the necessary and appropriate actions with the utmost urgency to shut down the facility for a period to be specified by the Competent Agency in coordination with the concerned agency, provided that such a period shall not exceed 90 days. The violator shall take all necessary actions to stop further environmental damage being caused by, or as a result of, the violation and bear all costs associated with the removal of such damages.
18.2.8 Anyone who does not observe the provisions of paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of Article Nine of the General Environmental law and paragraph 17.1.8 herein shall be subject to a fine not to exceed SR 10,000 and shall be required to comply with and implement the provisions of Article 9 within the period specified by the Competent Agency in coordination with the concerned agency.
18.2.9 If the Committee formed by paragraph 2 of Article 20 of the General Environmental law concludes that the environmental violation involves several simultaneous violations, the Committee has the right to impose the fines specified for each violation.
18.2.10 If the Competent Agency concludes that a violator of the environmental standards and specifications has repeated such violations continuously or with interruption, the Committee formed by paragraph 2 of Article 20 of the General Environmental law has the right to increase the upper limit of the fine, but not to exceed double the limit, and force the violator to remove the violation in addition to the closure of the facility for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days.

Article Nineteen
The Competent Agency shall designate staff to report violations to the General Environmental law and the rules issued for its implementation. The Rules for Implementation shall therewith specify procedures to be followed in reporting and documenting violations.

Violation Procedures:
Violation procedures include several actions, such as:

First: Inspection and Monitoring Operations
These operations shall be conducted by specialist trained teams, which shall include teams for inspection and contamination detection, and teams for land, marine and air monitoring. The Competent Agency shall decide upon a team, identify the team members and provide them with identification cards and the necessary devices and equipment required to perform their duties.

Second: Automatic Detection Operations
The detection operations shall be conducted through the networks of automatic detection and observation units available in the facilities and establishments, which are operated by the projects. Information related to these projects and facilities shall be provided to the Competent Agency, or concerned or licensing agencies, according to an agreed upon mechanism between these agencies, for the purpose of review and to determine the violations and level of compliance with environmental standards.

Third: Notifications
The Competent Agency shall receive contamination notifications or any other notifications relating to violations of the provisions of the General Environmental law from the concerned agencies and persons. The inspection and monitoring teams shall verify such notifications, conduct follow-up and monitoring operations, take necessary actions and prepare the required initial evaluation reports.

Fourth: International and Regional Reports
In cases of environmental pollution caused by sources outside Saudi Arabian borders and territorial waters, the Competent Agency shall receive contamination reports through regional and international organizations, programs and agencies. The Competent Agency shall implement the National Emergency Plans for Combating Pollution and undertake to implement the necessary air, land and marine monitoring and observation and follow-up and take necessary actions.

Fifth: Observation through Satellites and Remote Sensing Devices
The Competent Agency shall receive satellite images and remote sensing outputs from the concerned agencies and specialized regional and international organizations, agencies and programs and conduct analysis, comparison and verification of environmental pollution sources and cases of environmental contamination and deterioration.

Sixth: Violation Reporting Forms
The Competent Agency and public and licensing agencies shall, based on sample analysis results, monitoring and detection forms and instrumentation readings, and after implementing quality control programs for analysis and results, take necessary action according to the General Environmental law pertaining to the site(s) pollution incidents, and source(s) of pollution therein.

Seventh: Reports of Environmental Violations and Transportation, Entering and Smuggling of Hazardous Materials across Borders
These reports will be compiled by the concerned agencies and will include the detection records of environmental violations, records of the entry of toxic, hazardous or radioactive materials into the Kingdom by means of land, sea or air, or similar materials with no transit permit found to be traveling across the Kingdom’s lands e.g., by acts of smuggling or entry of hazardous wastes across land or sea borders or dumping or spilling of such materials in Saudi territorial waters.

Eighth: Coordination and Cooperation
The Competent Agency shall coordinate and cooperate with the concerned, public and licensing agencies in some or all of the violation operations and procedures. The Competent Agency may also authorize the public or concerned agencies or persons to implement some of these procedures.

Ninth: Documentation
The Competent Agency shall develop the databases for documenting environmental data and information, the violations and their sources and causes, as well as prepare the files that include environmental violations of Article Fourteen of the General Environmental law for submission to the Grievance Bureau to impose the penalties contemplated by paragraph (1) of Article (18) of the General Environmental law.

Tenth: Follow-up
In cooperation with the concerned and licensing agencies, the Competent Agency shall follow up incidents of environmental violations and their progress, repetition of environmental violations, effectiveness of the techniques and means used to combat pollutions and operations to rehabilitate the damaged environments.

Article Twenty
20.1 The Grievance Bureau shall have the jurisdiction to apply penalties set forth in paragraph (1) of Article (18) on violators of the provisions of Article (14) of the General Environmental law.
20.1.1 The Competent Agency shall, in coordination with the concerned agencies apprehend violators of the provisions of Article Fourteen and submit details of such violations to the Grievance Board to impose the penalties set forth in paragraph (1) of Article (18) of the General Environmental law.
20.1.2 Penalty recipient under paragraph (1) of Article (18) for any violation of Article Fourteen may file an appeal to the Grievance Bureau within sixty days from the date of notification of the penalty. If such a complaint is not made within the specified period, his right of grievance shall lapse and the stipulated penalty shall be effective as of its date of issuance.
20.1.3 If it becomes apparent to the Competent Agency that the violation of Article Fourteen of the Rules for Implementation has persistent and accumulative environmental, health and social impacts, the matter shall be submitted to the Grievance Bureau who shall in coordination with the concerned agency estimate the resulting damages and the penalty or penalties to be imposed on the violator proportional to the negative impact on environment, health and society.
20.2 Subject to paragraph (1) of this Article, one or more committees shall be formed by a decision of the Competent Minister comprising three members each, with at least one member specialized in the General Environmental law to review the violations and apply penalties set forth herein. Decisions of the committee shall be decided by majority vote of its members and approved by the Competent Minister.
20.2.1 Pursuant to paragraph (2) of Article (18) of the General Environmental law, and taking into consideration provisions of paragraph (1) of Article Eighteen, the Competent Agency shall form competent committees to review violations and determine the penalties as set forth in the Schedule of Penalties attached to the Rules for Implementation. Such committees shall be formed by the decision of the Competent Minister and their decisions shall be made by majority vote and approved by the Competent Minister.
20.2.2 Those penalized by a decision of the committee(s) may file an appeal to the Grievance Bureau within sixty (60) days from the date of their notification of the penalty decision; otherwise, their right to grievance shall lapse.

Article Twenty One

The committee set forth in paragraph (2) of Article Twenty may order, if necessary, an immediate elimination of the violation without awaiting issuance of a decision from the Grievance Bureau in respect to the petition or the case, as per the circumstances.
21.1. If the committee contemplated in paragraph 2 of Article Twenty of the General Environmental law concludes that the environmental violation committed has major environmental, health, social and economic impacts, and that failure to promptly and immediately remove the violation will aggravate such impacts, the committee may order the violation removed immediately as per the environmental provisions it deems appropriate, and at the violator’s expense and without waiting for the Grievance Bureau’s decision as regards the grievance or the case.
21.2 Costs paid or losses incurred by the violator to remove the violation at the competent committee’s request shall not be considered part of the fines or compensations imposed due to the violation. The Competent Agency has the right to coordinate with the concerned agencies to determine the appropriate compensations for environmental, economic, health and social damages caused by the violation.
21.3 If the Competent Agency or the competent committee concludes that the violator does not possess the technical capabilities required to remove the violation, the Competent Agency in coordination with the concerned agencies may assign qualified agencies or persons to remove the violation in accordance with the provisions stipulated by the Competent Agency and within the prescribed period; and the violator shall pay all costs arising from the removal of the violation.

Chapter 4
General Provisions
Article Twenty Two

The Competent Agency shall establish the Rules for Implementation of the General Environmental law in coordination with the concerned agencies. The Rules for Implementation shall be issued by a decision from the Competent Minister.
22.1. The Competent Agency is the responsible agency for the interpretation of the articles and paragraphs of the Rules for Implementation of General Environmental law and its Appendices.
22.2 In coordination with the concerned agencies, the Competent Agency may develop, amend or modify any paragraph of the Rules for Implementation and their Appendices whenever deemed necessary, which shall be promulgated by a decision of the Competent Minister.