The ongoing second round of the second batch of central ecological and environmental protection inspectors has again exposed the ecological and environmental violations of enterprises under the central government. The two companies named are Chinese building materials group Haoyuan Cement Co., Ltd. (Haoyuan Cement) and Chinalco Guangxi Nonferrous Rare Earth Development Co., Ltd. (Guangxi Rare Earth).

The Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Group (hereinafter referred to as the Inspection Group) pointed out that Haoyuan Cement not only did not seriously implement the national industrial policy, comply with environmental laws and regulations, long-term illegal production, but also in the case of multiple supervision by the regulatory authorities, still perfunctory rectification, and even in the rectification process of fraud. Guangxi Rare Earth has adopted a simple method to promote the rectification of the central government's ecological and environmental inspection problems, and even "dismantled them", which wasted money and failed to solve the mine's environmental pollution problem.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that the two companies have been found to have violated ecological laws. As for why the two companies have repeatedly violated the law? The inspection team pointed out that China Building Materials and Chinalco Group can not shirk the responsibility.

After the inspection team exposed the problems of the two enterprises, on the afternoon of September 24, Chinalco held a meeting of the central ecological and environmental inspection warning cases. The party group of Chinalco said that the same afternoon it sent a rectification team to Guangxi rare earth to conduct on-site supervision on the rectification of the problems.

Pollution control should take a passive approach to long-term excessive emissions

Located in Qiqihar City, Haoyuan Cement is the holding company of China Building Materials Group North Cement Co., Ltd. On September 8, 2010, the Fifth Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Supervision Group carried out on-site supervision on Haoyuan Cement.

The inspection team pointed out that the air pollution prevention and control law and the air pollution prevention and control action plan for cement enterprises denitration installation and dust removal facilities upgrade have put forward specific requirements, in June 2016, Qiqihar City is clearly required Haoyuan Cement to implement cement kiln low nitrogen combustion and denitration technical transformation. "But Haoyuan Cement has long avoided the main responsibility of environmental protection and reacted negatively to the pollution control requirements. It did not install and put into operation the denitrification facility until April 2019. In April 2020, it completed the bag dust removal transformation at the end of the kiln, resulting in the emission concentration of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides exceeding the standard for a long time." The inspection team pointed out that in June 2019, Haoyuan's cement particulate matter emission concentration exceeded the standard by 2.8 times and nitrogen oxides by 1.78 times, and was fined 500,000 yuan by the Qiqihar Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment. In September of the same year, he was fined 800,000 yuan by the Qiqihar Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment after the concentration of particulate matter exceeded the standard by 3.55 times.

According to the inspection team, September 8 solstice 10 on-site inspection, Haoyuan cement particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions although standards, but there are still a large number of raw materials stored in the open air, dust and dust unorganized emissions problem is very prominent.

The inspection team also found that Haoyuan cement carbide slag long - term illegal accumulation. In April and June 2019, Qiqihar City twice issued the central ecological and environmental protection inspector "look back" inspection rectification notice to Haoyuan Company, requiring Haoyuan Cement to rectify the problem of illegal accumulation of calcium carbide slag. However, this time, the inspection team of the plant carbide slag yard next to the puddle sampling monitoring, the results show that the pH value of 12.4, for the strong alkaline sewage. The inspection team pointed out: "Haoyuan Cement as a comprehensive use of solid waste treatment enterprises, but has become a serious pollution source."

In addition, Haoyuan cement production capacity replacement fraud, long-term unlicensed business problems have been investigated by the inspection team. According to the inspection team, in July 2012, Haoyuan Cement completed and put into operation since, has not obtained the cement production license. "In 2015, Haoyuan Cement started to apply for its cement production license through capacity replacement, but the relevant work was fraudulent and lax." The inspection team said that in January 2017, because the replacement program used eight cement shaft kilns that the state has explicitly eliminated production lines, the relevant departments identified as ineffective capacity, did not obtain a production license. In the replacement plan reported in June 2020, violations of the policy led to the production capacity replacement and license application stalled again.

According to the inspection team, Jinxin Mining Co., Ltd. which belongs to Haoyuan Cement was punished by the former Bureau of Land and Resources of A Rongqi in November 2014 and May 2015 and confiscated 196,000 yuan of illegal income due to cross-border mining.

The inspection team requested rectification of the problem "one dismantled"

Guangxi Rare Earth, with a registered capital of 750 million yuan, is a third-tier enterprise of Chinalco. Guangxi Rare Earth, established in July 2011, integrates rare earth exploration and exploitation, smelting and separation, deep processing, scientific research and trade. It has three smelting and separation enterprises including Chinalco Guangxi Nonferrous Metals Jinyuan Rare Earth Co., Ltd. and five mining enterprises including Chinalco Guangxi Cenxi Rare Earth Co., Ltd.

On September 6, 2020, the fourth ecological and environmental protection supervision group of the central government carried out on-site supervision on Guangxi rare earth and its subordinate enterprises.

According to the inspection team, Chinalco Guangxi Cenxi Rare Earth Company (hereinafter referred to as Cenxi Rare Earth) environmental violations were pointed out as early as the first round of inspections. However, this time, the inspectors found that Cenxi Rare Earth had not learned from its mistakes and had "dismantled" the mine. The follow-up pollution prevention and control measures were not in place, and the surrounding water pollution problem was still serious. In January 2020, without authorization, Cenxi Rare Earth dismantled the tailwater treatment facility and buried and filled up 10 environmental protection monitoring Wells. Sampling and monitoring showed that the water quality of two surface water bodies downstream of Cenxi rare earth closed mine were both of poor V class, with the highest ammonia nitrogen exceeding the standard 92.8 times.

"Chinalco Guangxi Hezhou Rare Earth Co., Ltd. 's Hezhou Gui-Guang high-speed rail cladding rescue recycling project of rare earth resources has been reported by the public for many times due to water and environmental pollution problems, and this time the inspectors found that relevant problems have not been solved." The inspection team said the site inspectors found that the project's ammonia nitrogen wastewater treatment project without the permission of the pretreatment of flushing wastewater directly into the environment. Sampling monitoring shows that the water in the downstream of the hydrometallurgy workshop of the project and the downstream of the mining area are both inferior V and obviously acidic, with pH value of 3.77 and 3.59 respectively, and ammonia nitrogen is 11.6 times and 9.6 times over the standard.

After the closure of the Hongling Trade and Logistics Park of Guangxi Wuzhou Rare Earth Co., Ltd., the relevant sewage treatment facilities were dismantled simultaneously, and the underground monitoring Wells were sealed, and the water quality was not monitored until the stable standard was reached according to the requirements of the EIA approval. Sampling and monitoring show that the water in the downstream of the original water smelting workshop of this project is inferior V, and the maximum limit of ammonia nitrogen is 10 times.

The on-site inspection team also found that a number of projects owned by Guangxi rare earth companies were built without EIA approval, and some mining projects exceeded the approved quota for production, increasing environmental pressure. Some did not carry out the water injection test according to the EIA requirements, there are greater environmental risks and hidden dangers; Some projects have even violated EIA requirements by building outdated production facilities that are prohibited by the state.

"Rare earth environmental management in Guangxi is not in place, most of the mines are not sound environmental emergency pools, the mine seepage prevention measures are generally missing, a large amount of sewage infiltration into the underground, environmental risks are prominent." The inspection team said the Chinalco Tengxian rare earth mine had only an impermeable membrane around the tank body and no impermeable measures at the bottom. Mine will not have any anti-seepage measures pit set as an environmental emergency pool. Sampling, according to the monitoring of surface water interception pool pH value of 4.6, shows obvious acid, ammonia nitrogen concentration of 78.7 mg/L, 4.2 times more than rare earth industrial pollutants emission standards, beyond the surface Ⅲ class standard 77.7 times; Beyond the surface water environmental emergency pool ammonia nitrogen concentration Ⅲ class standard 13.5 times. At the same time, the groundwater monitoring well and intercepting groundwater well lead concentrations were 0.0228 mg/L, 0.103 mg/L, respectively, than groundwater Ⅲ class standard 1.3 times, 9.3 times. The concentration of ammonia nitrogen in rainwater collection ponds of workshop 2 and workshop 3 of emergency recovery and utilization project of overlaying rare earth resources in Xingye section of Lipu to Yulin expressway in Guangxi by Chinalco Guangxi Yulin Rare Earth Co., Ltd exceeds the standard 2.9 times and 24.7 times.

The supervision of the superior companies of the two enterprises is not in place

For the two enterprises ecological environment illegal causes, the inspection team has also carried out an analysis. The inspection team pointed out that Haoyuan Cement, as a subsidiary of China Building Materials Group, has a weak awareness of ecological and environmental protection responsibility, prominent violations of laws and regulations, and serious environmental pollution. As the superior company of Haoyuan Cement, North Cement Co., Ltd. did not supervise and inspect the ecological and environmental protection work of its subordinate enterprises, and went through the process of assessment. A lack of understanding of the national industrial policy, a lack of enthusiasm and strength in the work of capacity replacement and rectification, and repeated delays have led to delays in solving the problem.

Guangxi rare earth environmental protection main responsibility has not been fully implemented, in the production and operation process failed to pay attention to environmental issues from the ideological. As the direct superior unit of Guangxi Rare Earth, China Rare Earth Co., Ltd. has not paid enough attention to the long-term ecological and environmental problems in Guangxi Rare Earth, and has not been strict enough in supervision and rectification. As a result, related environmental pollution and environmental risks have not been effectively solved for a long time.

The inspection team said it will further verify the problems of the two companies and urge China Building Materials Group Co., Ltd. and Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. to investigate and rectify environmental violations in their subsidiaries in accordance with the law.