Nikitin proposed strengthening regional powers over tariff regulation in housing and utilities.

      October 3, 2025, 18:30 Politics

      The Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region and Chair of the State Council of Russia’s commission on "Environmental Well-being," Gleb Nikitin, held a meeting with representatives of relevant departments, industry organizations and experts.

      Participating in the discussion were Deputy General Director of PPK "REO" Aleksey Makrushin, Deputy Head of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia Vitaly Korolyov, as well as specialists from regions across the country. One of the key issues of the meeting was improving tariff regulation in the housing and utilities sector and in the handling of municipal solid waste (MSW).

      As participants noted, responsibility for the stable operation of communal infrastructure, including the construction and modernization of large facilities, currently lies with the federal subjects. In this regard, the commission proposed transferring authority for tariff regulation from the federal level to the regional level. Experts believe this will allow for more flexible and justified decisions, especially within the implementation of the federal project "Circular Economy."

      "Regional operators for MSW management operate within the boundaries of the subjects, and in some cases one operator serves the entire territory of a region. At the same time, any changes require coordination with many municipalities. We believe that all approvals, especially when launching large investment projects, should be carried out at the regional level," emphasized Gleb Nikitin.

      The Federal Antimonopoly Service expressed its readiness for dialogue and intends to study the practices of those subjects where difficulties have already arisen in this area.

      Additionally, the functioning of water utilities was addressed. Elena Dovlatova, representing the Russian Association of Water Supply and Wastewater Disposal, outlined a number of problems faced by enterprises in the sector. Some of these had been raised before and received the commission's support, but have not yet been reflected in current regulatory documents. Other issues require further analysis and discussion.

      Recall that from 2025 Russia has a national project "Environmental Well-being." It is a continuation of the national project "Ecology" and is aimed at improving the state of the environment and enhancing citizens’ quality of life.

      The national project implements six federal initiatives: "General Cleanup," "Water of Russia," "Conservation of Biodiversity and Development of Ecotourism," "Forest Conservation," "Circular Economy" and "Clean Air."

      Earlier reports indicated that Gleb Nikitin raised the topic of environmental responsibility during a State Council meeting.

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