In March 2006 the lower house of Parliament endorsed the draft "interim" Environmental protection Law, adding a few modifications to the law that has been acting de facto as an interim law since 2003.

The new environmental law does not drastically differ from the previous one, but some main articles are worth highlighting.

Article 6.b states that "Hazardous waste is not permitted to be entered into Jordan". Article 6.c states that In the event of the discovery of hazardous waste entered into the Kingdom or the entry of any environmental pollutant in an illegal manner, the Ministry, in coordination with the concerned authorities, shall return same to its origin at the expense of the party who entered it into the Kingdom and shall levy fines and recoup costs and losses suffered by the Kingdom.

Article 6.d states that Any person violating the provisions of this Article shall by fined an amount of not less than (20,000) Twenty Thousand Dinars or by imprisonment for a period of not less than 3 years and not exceeding fifteen years, or both.

Article 7-A states that " the specialized officer named by the Minister in writing upon the recommendation of the Secretary General shall be granted police powers and he may enter any industrial, commercial, handicraft or agricultural shop or any establishment or corporation or any other entity whose activities may affect in any way the Element and components of the Environment to ensure its compliance and the compliance of its activities with the standard environmental conditions.".

Moreover, article 7-B-1 states that " The Minister, upon recommendation of the Secretary General, may notify the establishment or corporation or shop or any other entity in violation, and shall set the period within which the violation must be removed.  If the violation is not removed the violator will be referred to the Court. Article 7-B-2 states that " The Minister may in emergencies or dangerous situations, on the basis of a technical committee formed for that purpose, issue a decision to remove the violation at the expense of the violator, or provisionally shut down any of the entities referred to in Paragraph 1 hereof before the Court issues its decision."

 Article 13 calls specifically for conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment for new projects.

Article 16 calls for the establishment of an "Environmental Fund" from which money shall be spent on protecting the Environment and protecting its Elements within the aims of achieving the goals and objects set forth in this Law. Article 17 states that "The Fund shall be fed by aid, donations and grants presented to the Fund from public corporations, civic and private entities, and Arab, regional and international entities, provided that the Council of Ministers approves the funding presented to the Fund from international entities.  Other sources of income for the fund are fees, charges and fines collected by virtue of this Law".

It is expected that the new law will be officially published in the National Gazette and become operational once endorsed by the Senates (higher house of Parliament).