EPA Fines ArcelorMittal Liberia for Pollution in Nimba County
Strategic Research Institute
Published on :
11 May, 2022, 5:37 am
Afrik21 reported that Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency has fined ArcelorMittal’s mining subsidiary ArcelorMittal Liberia for water pollution in Nimba County in Liberia and that ArcelorMittal Liberia will pay USD 110,000 in compensation to communities impacted by its activities. The fine is divided into four parts
1. It failed to inform the agency about a major change in its project that poses a significant threat to the environment and human health. This constitutes a violation of the Environmental Protection and Management Act. The fine for such a violation is USD 10,000, with five years imprisonment.
2. Another package is the violation of the June 27, 2021 corrective action, which requires the acquisition of an environmental permit for the operation of its wastewater treatment plant and the discharge of effluent. ArcelorMittal will pay USD 25,000 in compensation.
3. ArcelorMittal was convicted of deliberately and illegally discharging raw sewage into a wetland, damaging the ecological integrity of the wetland and the surrounding river basin. For this act, the EPA fined the company USD 50,000.
4. The other part of the fine, USD 25,000, is for the illegal use of an explosives magazine.
Although the sanctions against ArcelorMittal are only now coming into effect, the EPA noted these multiple deviations much earlier (between 2018 and 2021) and drew the attention of the industrialist without any real improvements. And it is the environment that has paid the heavy price. The company will therefore implement initiatives to clean up the affected water bodies in Nimba County. The work will be carried out by an environmental consultant certified by the EPA. This approach will undoubtedly serve as an example to other polluters.