“We are making a three-year plan to win the battle for blue skies. The detailed plan is under work, but in principle, we want to control pollution in key areas and from heavy industries,” said: Li Ganjie, the new minister for the Ecological Environment ministry during a session at this week’s National People’s Congress (NPC).

China announced last week during the NPC that it would transform the former Ministry of Environmental Protection into the Ecological Environment ministry with great powers that include taking on the environmental duties of the land, water, and agriculture ministries.

Li reiterated the ministry’s goal to reduce the supply glut in heavy industries and shift commodities transportation from using trucks to using railroads during an interview with press at the Great Hall of the People.

He also said natural gas supplies will continue to be tight in the future as the country pushes forward on switching consumers from coal to gas.

“Using gas as a fuel for heating would be the most valuable use for natural gas,” he said.