Regulations Governing the Certification and Management of Environmental Education Facilities and Venues

Regulations Governing the Certification and Management of Environmental Education Facilities and Venues Full nineteen articles promulgated by Environmental Protection Administration Order Huan-Shu-Tzung-Tzu No. 1000046543C on June 2, 2011. Article 1 These Regulations are determined pursuant to Article 14, Paragraph 3 of the Environmental Education Act (herein referred to as "this Act"). Article 2 The term environmental education facilities or venues (herein called facilities or venues) used in these Regulations refers to spaces, sites, installations or equipment that combine environmental education professional staff, course programs as well as operations and management to provide professional environmental education services, and possess a rich ecosystem or distinctive human and natural features. Article 3 The establishment of facilities or venues shall respect life and conserve natural ecological resources and distinctive features, avoid the construction of nonessential man-made installations, paving, or equipment.： Article 4 Facility or venue certification applicants shall submit the following documents to the central competent authority: Application form.I. Photocopies of verification documents showing ownership rights, management rights, or use rights for the facilities or venues II. Photocopies of verification documents for approval of establishment and registration in the case of applicants that are required by law to obtain approval of establishment or registration by government agencies III. Photocopies of verification documents of an operating permit in the case of applicants that are required by law to obtain permission by government agencies before operations may begin IV. Certificate of the current environmental conditions as well as the topic and content of the distinctive natural or cultural features V. Environmental education professional staff assignment table, which shall include one full-time environmental education personnel member VI. Environmental education course programsVII. Operations and management plan integrating Subparagraph 5 to the foregoing subparagraph, including abilities, experience, safety maintenance, environmental impact, operating targets, and financial plans VIII. Relevant verification documents showing that the applicant has carried out environmentalIX. education in the last three years Other documents designated by the central competent authorityX. The full-time environmental education personnel in Subparagraph 6 of the foregoing paragraph shall obtain environmental education personnel certification. However, full-time environmental education personnel of applicants that applied for facility or venue certification before December 31, 2012, may obtain environmental education personnel certification in accordance with regulations within two years of the date of announcement and implementation of the Regulations Governing the Certification and Management of Environmental Education Personnel. Article 5 Upon receipt of the facility or venue certification application, the central competent authority shall conduct a procedural review within seven days, and notify applicants whose application documents comply with regulations to pay a review fee of NT$5,000 within fifteen days, and review the number of required documents; applicants that fail to comply with regulations but may make corrections, shall be notified to make corrections within a limited period. Applicants that fail to pay the review fee in accordance with regulations or fail to make corrections by the deadline will have their applications rejected. Article 6 The central competent authority shall complete review of the facility or venue certification within three months of the day following receipt of the review fee, should the review find that the applicant needs to make corrections, the applicant shall be notified to make correction within a limited period, those that fail to make corrections by the deadline will have their applications rejected. The review period in the foregoing paragraph may be extended, when necessary, but extensions may not exceed three months and shall be limited to one time; the number of days required for making corrections shall not be calculated toward the review period. Article 7 When certifying facilities or venues, the central competent authority shall invite the central industry competent authority as well as experts and scholars to join the review pursuant to Article 15 of this Act. When necessary, a task force may be set up to conduct the review procedure. Article 8 Certification verification documents issued by the central competent authority shall record the following items: Name and address or location of the facility or venueI. Applicant's name, name of statutory responsible personII. Issuing authorityIII. Date of issue, document numberIV. Validity periodV. The certification verification documents in the foregoing paragraph shall be displayed in a prominent place at the facility or venue. Article 9 The certification of facilities or venues shall be valid for five years; an extension application may be filed within three to six months before the certification expires; each extension shall be valid for five years. Those applying for extension shall pay an extension review fee of NT$2,500; Articles 4 to 7 shall apply, where appropriate, to the documents that shall be submitted and the review process. Article 10 After payment of review fees pursuant to Article 5, Paragraph 1, and Paragraph 2 of the foregoing article requests for their refund or carry-over shall not be made for any reason unless a refund application has been filed in accordance with the Charges and Fees Act. Article 11 Changes that are made to documents that have been submitted by facilities or venues when applying for certification, and to items recorded on the certification verification documents, shall be reported to the central competent authority for future reference. Article 12 Before the end of March of each year, certified facilities or venues shall submit to the central competent authority an environmental education results report for the previous year. The results report in the foregoing paragraph shall include work content, number of activities, number of participants, results and photographs, satisfaction survey, review and outlook. Article 13 The central competent authority may dispatch personnel at any time to inspect certified facilities or venues, and order them to provide necessary information on their implementation of environmental education. Article 14 The central competent authority may regularly conduct an evaluation of certified facilities or venues on its own or commission academic groups or professional evaluation organizations. The academic groups or evaluation organizations in the foregoing paragraph shall meet the following conditions: Approved and accredited national academic group or approved, accredited national civic group or professional organization with an environmental education related mission statement. I. Professional, objective evaluation implementation plan, including sufficient scholars and experts in the field of evaluation, a fully functioning evaluator selection and training system, sufficient full-time (part-time) administrative staff as well as sound organization and accounting systems. II. Article 15 When application documents submitted by facilities or venues pursuant to Article 4, Paragraph 1 and Article 9, Paragraph 2 are found to be false or untruthful, the central competent authority shall revoke their certifications. Article 16 The central competent authority may cancel certifications when one of the following circumstances applies to the facilities or venues: The content of the environmental education results report is untruthful.I. Refusal without legitimate reason of inspections by the central competent authority or refusal to provide necessary information II. The applicant has lost the ownership rights, management rights, or use rights for the said facility or venue. III. The applicant's verification documents for government-approved establishment and registration have already been revoked or canceled. IV. The facility or venue has been ordered by a government agency to terminate business or its operating permit has been revoked or canceled. V. The facility or venue has not provided environmental education services for more than one year.VI. The facility or venue fails to pass evaluation by the central competent authority pursuant to Article 14, Paragraph 1, the facility or venue is ordered to make improvements within a limited period, but fails to complete improvements by the deadline. VII. Negligent maintenance and management by the facility or venue causes the quality of environmental education services to deteriorate, the facility or venue is ordered to make improvements within a limited period, but fails to make improvements by the deadline. VIII. Environmental education staff assignments, environmental education course programs or actual operations and management are not consistent with the submitted application documents, the facility or venue is ordered to make improvements within a limited period, but fails to make improvements by the deadline. IX. Other violations of these Regulations, the facility or venue is ordered to make improvements within a limited period, but fails to make improvements by the deadline. X. Article 17 The issuance, revocation or cancellation of facility or venue certification shall be made public on the web site of the central competent authority. Article 18 The central competent authority may commission the central industry competent authority to conduct, in accordance with these Regulations, certification, evaluation, revocation, cancellation, and management matters of facilities or venues that are subordinate to it or fall within the scope of operations under its authority. When the commissioned authority in the foregoing paragraph conducts a facility or venue certification review, Article 5, Paragraph 1 and Article 9, Paragraph 2 shall apply, where appropriate, to the certification fee collection standards. Article 19 These Regulations shall take effect on June 5, 2011.