The Chinese government's most strident defender of the environment, Pan Yue, has been pushed out of the political limelight as policymakers ramp up plans to bolster the faltering economy with consumer incentives and industrial investment...He harnessed the power of the media by naming and shaming the worst violators, introduced a freedom of information law that obliged local authorities to release pollution data and encouraged non-governmental organisations and journalists to expose environmental wrongdoing...In one of his few media appearances earlier this month, Pan said environmental impact assessments continue and the ministry would not allow high energy-consuming and polluting projects for the sake of domestic demand.