The Pakistan Environmental Protection Act of 1997 (PEPA 1997) was enacted to provide for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of Pakistan's environment. It established regulations for environmental impact assessments, prohibitions on importing hazardous waste, and penalties for violations. PEPA 1997 formed the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council and environmental tribunals to help enforce the act and provide relief for environmental damages. It also requires proponents of projects that could harm the environment to file initial environmental examinations with regulatory agencies.