The Standing Environmental Committee of the Russian President's Commission on Human Rights has recommended the President expand the role of the Federal Natural Resources Regulatory Authority, arguing that it has been hampered by local political and business relations since being handed administrative authority over environmental regulation.
Local political and business relations are closely intertwined, resulting in the problem of corruption. Russia needs to provide that governors are directly elected to serve a single term of 5 years and barred from other offices for 6 years afterward. Local councils should follow a committee-centered system, and constituencies should not be divided into districts. Each year 1/4 of all legislators should face election. In addition, the Constitution should state that international environmental laws and regulations will serve as the minimum standards for local environmental laws and regulations. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.
