The article talks about scientific and methodological issues of the development of state environmental monitoring. The authors have considered the structure of State environmental monitoring (State environmental monitoring) and the procedure for its implementation. The legal basis of state environmental monitoring systems.
 We present the work within the Framework of the national program of the unified system of state environmental monitoring (State environmental monitoring, SEM). The goals, objectives and procedure for the implementation of the SEM, its main subsystems.
 The scientists examined the role of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation (Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia) and the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) in ensuring the functioning of state environmental monitoring and its information resources. The activities of the State Environmental Monitoring Data Fund (State environmental monitoring) and the Unified State Data Fund (USDF) are presented. The researchers have the work of the monitoring system using the state system of observations and control by Roshydromet of indicators of the content of pollutants in atmospheric air, surface waters, marine waters, soil, radiation monitoring, etc.
 The authors have considered the prospects for the development of state environmental monitoring in connection with the adoption by the Government of the Russian Federation of the State program "Environmental Protection" for 2012–2030.
 Ethics. This study did not require the conclusion of the Ethics Committee.