A former environmental chief who took the blame for a river pollution accident in 2005 and resigned has been appointed deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

The NDRC's English web-site lists Xie Zhenhua, the former director of the State Environmental Protection Administration, as a "Vice Chair" at the "Minister Level".

NDRC is one of China's most powerful agencies in charge of directing economic decisions. It has 12 deputy directors.

China's cabinet approved Xie's resignation on December 2, 2005 following a chemical spill that seriously polluted the country's northeastern Songhua River.

Xie was the highest-ranking official to be removed from office for an environmental incident.

Around 100 tons of pollutants containing hazardous benzene spilled into the Songhua River after a chemical plant explosion on Nov. 13 of 2005 in northeast China's Jilin Province. The incident forced cities along the river, including Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province and a city of more than three million people, to temporarily suspend water supply.

Xie, who began working for NDRC at the end of 2006, is in charge of environmental protection and energy saving, Saturday's 21st Century Business Herald reported.

The report says Xie's department will be the new main focus of the NDRC's work.

NDRC director Ma Kai said earlier that China faces severe problems relating to high energy consumption and heavy environmental pollution, and has urged stronger efforts in the two areas.

Source: Xinhua