Central Environmental Inspection: In Shandong, numerous chemical projects were built in violation of regulations, and rectification efforts have been selective and subject to loopholes.

The first round of inspection feedback highlighted widespread violations in the construction of chemical projects in Shandong Province. In response, the rectification plan mandated the immediate suspension of operations and comprehensive remediation of non-compliant projects, with enforcement in accordance with the law. However, some localities and departments adopted a selective or perfunctory approach to implementation, severely undermining the effectiveness of the cleanup efforts. The Provincial Department of Housing and Urban–Rural Development and the former Provincial Department of Land and Resources relaxed compliance requirements, substituting penalties for actual corrective measures; as a result, more than 400 enterprises across the province that had not obtained land-use or planning permits were nonetheless deemed to have “completed rectification.” In Weifang City, 34 chemical enterprises found to be in violation of urban–rural and land-use plans were merely promised retroactive approval procedures, and their cases were closed without any substantive corrective action being undertaken. In Zibo City, 117 enterprises that had breached the overall urban–rural master plan and remained unremediated were similarly delisted. Meanwhile, in Heze City, Chengwu Zhongyuan Chemical Co., Ltd.—which operated with incomplete planning documentation and employed technologies explicitly banned by the state—continued to produce illegally despite the absence of any corrective measures, owing to lax oversight.

　　During the first round of inspections, residents lodged complaints regarding Jinan Yuxing Chemical Company’s illegal dumping of red gypsum. In June 2018, despite the company’s failure to complete corrective measures, the Tianqiao District Government of Jinan City reported the issue for closure and publicly announced in September that remediation had been completed. However, even by the time the “follow-up review” team arrived, the company’s solid-waste storage facilities remained inadequately constructed; more than 100,000 tons of red gypsum were piled openly on-site without any “three‑preventive” safeguards, and since 2018, over 200,000 additional tons of red gypsum have continued to be illegally dumped in Dezhou City.

　　The inspection found that perfunctory rectification is a recurring issue. As the lead agency responsible for the designation of chemical industrial parks, the Provincial Special Action Office for the Chemical Industry failed to rigorously implement the relevant requirements of the provincial government, allowing several parks that clearly did not meet the criteria to pass the designation process. For example, the Zhangdian Eastern Chemical Industrial Park in Zibo City and the Cao County Chemical Industrial Park in Heze City had still not completed their wastewater treatment facilities by the time of the follow-up review, yet both were nonetheless approved as chemical industrial parks—clearly in violation of the provisions of the “Administrative Measures for the Designation of Chemical Industrial Parks in Shandong Province.” Furthermore, inadequate oversight by the former Provincial Commission of Economy and Information Technology, the former Provincial Environmental Protection Department, and other relevant authorities resulted in some prefecture-level cities treating the remediation tasks related to groundwater pollution prevention in chemical clusters and their surrounding areas with superficiality, leading to slow progress in implementation.

　　Within the Lubei Chemical Industrial Park in Binzhou City, Jinhai Titanium Industry Resource Technology Co., Ltd. has long illegally used an unlined pond outside its premises as a disposal site for red gypsum slurry. The Wudi County Government failed to report this violation and adopted a policy of imposing fines in lieu of effective oversight, allowing the company’s unlawful practices to persist unchecked. Even after the first round of inspections, the company continued to illegally discharge more than 700,000 tons of red gypsum slurry into that same pond.

　　The inspection team pointed out that superficial remediation is a particularly serious problem. In Weifang City’s Binhai Development Zone, efforts to address environmental issues have been largely cosmetic, with little regard for tangible results. In the course of pollution control along the Weitan River, instead of implementing source‑control and sewage interception measures as required by the remediation plan, authorities have relied on the application of chemical agents for superficial treatment. The inspection revealed that large volumes of domestic wastewater are overflowing into the Weitan River, illegal discharges from enterprises occur frequently, and substantial quantities of chemical waste are stockpiled along both riverbanks. Following “chemical‑based pollution control,” water quality improved in the short term, but began to deteriorate again after just one month. At 13 sampling sites along the Weitan River, the inspection team found that all samples met Class V standards—indicating severely polluted conditions—and that the over RMB 47 million invested in the river’s pollution‑remediation project amounted to little more than a public‑relations exercise.

　　The inspection also found that instances of feigning corrective action continue to occur. In Huantai County, Zibo City, local authorities turned a blind eye to the illegal discharge activities of Shandong Bohui Group, relying for years on fines in lieu of effective oversight and submitting falsified reports on remediation progress. Investigations revealed that, over many years, Bohui Group illegally landfilled as much as 3.5 million tons of various solid wastes. During the first round of inspections, residents reported that Shandong Chenlong Group was illegally burying solid waste. In response, Chenlong Group failed to implement any meaningful corrective measures, merely covering the landfill site with soil. Despite being fully aware that the company was engaging in deception, Huantai County nevertheless reported the issue as resolved.

　　During the first round of inspections, residents reported that Zhenmiao Village in Guangrao County, Dongying City, had been illegally burying large quantities of chemical solid waste, medical waste, and household garbage in an open pit. After removing only a few hundred tons of surface debris, local authorities covered the cleaned area with construction waste to conceal tens of thousands of cubic meters of solid waste buried underground, thereby causing environmental pollution and posing serious environmental risks. In response to this inadequate remediation, the local government even publicized the case as a positive example in the Dongying Daily.

　　The special inspection revealed that, despite numerous measures taken by Shandong Province to address air pollution, the province’s energy and industrial structures remain severely imbalanced, transportation-related emissions are a major concern, and the overall air quality situation remains grim.

　　Oil product oversight is severely lacking. For a prolonged period, the quality of motor fuel in Shandong Province has remained unguaranteed, adversely affecting both the province’s air pollution prevention and control efforts and neighboring regions. Former departments such as the Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce and the former Provincial Commission of Economy and Information Technology have engaged in mutual buck-passing, resulting in serious regulatory gaps. Across the province, refineries and petrochemical enterprises have persistently engaged in illegal sales of ordinary diesel or high-sulfur fuels to logistics and transportation companies. During on-site inspections, Changyi Petrochemical Co., Ltd. of China National Chemical Corporation refused to cooperate and even fabricated false records on the spot. Moreover, the illegal production and sale of substandard blended fuels remain unchecked, with non‑compliant products entering the market through illicit refueling stations and mobile refueling vehicles—key factors exacerbating vehicle‑related pollution.

　　The inspector emphasized that the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government should, in light of the inspection’s findings, promptly formulate a rectification plan and submit it to the State Council within 30 working days. The rectification plan and the progress of its implementation shall be made public in accordance with relevant regulations.

　　The inspection team also reviewed the issues related to accountability for ecological and environmental damage that had been identified and, in accordance with relevant regulations, referred them to the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government for handling.

Source: China Chemical Industry News