Liberia: EPA Fines East International US$55K for Series of Violations
An equipment belonging to East International
…. Quetz Mining, Fengshou International similarly fined
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered East International, a road construction company, to pay a whopping US$55,000 for operating without an environmental permit, excessive pollution of the air, and failure to regularly suppress dust along the road corridor.
Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Acting EPA Executive Director, said at a press conference in Monrovia on Tuesday that the agency reached the decision to punish the company after cataloging a series of non-compliance offenses.
Yarkpawolo said that East International has been operating under an expired environmental permit—an act that violates Part III Section 6 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia (EPML) and Section 37 of the EPA Act (2003).
“The company has also been involved in polluting the air, a violation of Part IV Section 36 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law of Liberia,” he said. “And the company has also failed to regularly suppress dust along the road corridor. This violates Section 5.2 count 9 of the Environmental permit and is subject to punitive measures consistent with Section 112 of the EPML.”
As a result of these violations, the EPA acting boss said, “East International is hereby fined Fifty-five Thousand (US$55,000.00) United States Dollars to be paid in Government Revenue at the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) with an official receipt presented to the EPA within 72 hours of the receipt of the official fined letter from the EPA. East International is also requested to renew its expired permit and follow all the environmental protection laws of Liberia.”
The decision was reached after a thorough investigation done by scientists and inspectors of the agency; he added. The EPA carried out compliance audits and air quality assessments in the company’s operational areas and did a company survey.
“Our team found out that East International's current EPA permit has expired and the company has a series of occupational health and safety issues. There is no record of quarterly and terminal monitoring reports submitted by the company to the EPA. The company has not put in adequate personal protective equipment for the workers, among other violations. Additionally, East International does not follow regulations,” Yarkpawolo noted.
He also said that the team found that the company emits three times more Particulate Matter 2.5 or PM2.5, a dust particle that can easily be inhaled and causes some respiratory problems, more than the WHO recommended limit.
“The majority (83%) of the people we interviewed reported that dust occurs constantly in their environment during the afternoon hours. Some people reported respiratory problems such as coughing and asthma as the major health issues affecting them,” he said.
The EPA has also closed the operations of Fengshou International, an affiliate of East International, which operates a rock quarry in Ben’s Town, Margibi County, for unsustainably backfilling a portion of the Marshall wetland without reference to the EPML.
“Fengshou International backfilled and constructed a 2 km road within the Marshall wetland. It also extended its rock quarry into the wetland, as well as constructed a rock sale point within the wetland,” the EPA boss said. “These acts by Fengshou International violate Part VI Section 75 of the EPML, which calls for the protection of rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Consequently, the Fengshou International rock quarry is hereby ordered closed until a more sustainable method is approved by the EPA.”
Meanwhile, the agency has also fined Quetz Mining Company a combined sum of US$15,998 for operating without an environmental permit, and a restoration plan for its mines.
Quetz Mining Company ran two mines in Brewerville and Royesville for nearly two years without the permit, the EPA said in a report following a preliminary investigation.
The investigation, Yarkpawolo noted, followed a media publication (The DayLight), which showed Quetz had no license for a pair of zircon sand mines in the Montserrado communities.
The publication revealed the Brewerville mine had a plant where zircon sand was transported from Royesville with the involvement of residents.
The plant processed the zircon sand—a mineral used in the ceramics industry. Mineworkers placed the sand in 25-kilogram bags and then transported them elsewhere for export.
EPA fined Quetz US$2,999 for mining without an environmental permit. It ordered the company to present a US$12,999 plan to restore the environment where it worked, according to the report. The report also found that the miners were less than a kilometer from the beach, impacting houses closest to their illegal operations. It said Quetz encouraged residents to engage in sand mining, outlawed since 2012 to curb countrywide coastline loss.