Ten enterprises, including a subsidiary of Limin Co., Ltd., have been heavily fined for environmental violations.

Release Date:

2020-04-03

According to Hebei Radio and Television, since the beginning of this year, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment has, while guiding and supporting enterprises in resuming work and production and promoting both environmental improvement and economic development, launched a special campaign to strengthen environmental law enforcement and carry out a spring-time intensive effort, stepping up investigations into high-profile cases of environmental violations. In the first quarter, a total of 5,248 enterprises (sites) were inspected, revealing 796 environmental issues.
　　On April 1, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment publicly released the first batch of cases involving serious environmental violations.
　　Ten enterprises with serious environmental violations, including Jinzhou Zhongjie Energy Hebei Biomass Power Generation Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Energy Conservation, and Hebei Weiyuan Biochemical Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Limin Shares, were publicly exposed in a coordinated campaign.
　　On March 7, an on-site inspection by the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau revealed that the titanium dioxide catalytic plates inside the volatile organic compound (VOC) treatment system at Hebei Weiyuan Biochemical Co., Ltd. were severely corroded; one of the three UV‑photocatalytic oxidation units in the formulation workshop was not operating; and the VOC control facilities were being used improperly. The Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau ordered the company to immediately rectify the issues and imposed a fine of RMB 100,000.
　　Limin Holdings Group Co., Ltd. is primarily engaged in… Pesticide (Veterinary pharmaceuticals) Research, development, production, and sales of active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosage forms. Products include agricultural fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides, as well as veterinary APIs, powder formulations, premixes, and aqueous injectable preparations. The company is one of the largest fungicide manufacturers in China and the country’s leading producer of mancozeb, cymoxanil, aluminum phosphite, pyrimethanil, and metam sodium.
　　The following are several other notable cases:
　　I. Case of Uncontrolled Dust Emissions at Hebei Shigang Co., Ltd.
　　On March 16, an on-site inspection by the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau revealed that the material‑feeding chute of No. 2 blast furnace within the premises at No. 363 Heping East Road, operated by the company, was not properly sealed, resulting in significant fugitive emissions of dust during production. The Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau ordered the company to immediately rectify the issue in accordance with the law and imposed a fine of RMB 180,000.
　　II. Case of Excessive Emissions by Gaoyi County Lima Jian Tao Co., Ltd.
　　On February 16, the Gaoyi County Branch of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau detected, via its remote online monitoring system, that the company’s raw-materials workshop was discharging sulfur dioxide at levels exceeding regulatory limits between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. The branch promptly dispatched enforcement officers to conduct an on-site verification. The investigation revealed that the desulfurization tower’s water storage tank in the raw-materials workshop was low on water, leading to a reduction in the volume of circulating water used for desulfurization and compromising the efficiency of the desulfurization equipment, thereby causing the sulfur dioxide emissions to exceed permitted limits. The Gaoyi County Branch ordered the company to immediately implement corrective measures and imposed a fine of RMB 120,000.
　　III. Dust Pollution Case Involving the Second Phase of the Hutuo River Ecological Restoration Project
　　On March 16, during an on-site inspection, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau’s Shenze County Branch found that, at the construction site of the second phase of the Hutuo River Ecological Restoration Project undertaken by China Railway Third Group, dust‑control measures such as enclosure or water spraying were not implemented in accordance with regulatory requirements during the loading and unloading of sand and soil, resulting in severe dust pollution. The Shenze County Branch ordered China Railway Third Group to immediately rectify the situation and imposed a fine of RMB 90,000.
　　IV. Case of Direct Emission of Waste Gas by Hebei Donghua Ship Chemical Co., Ltd.
　　On March 7, an on-site inspection by the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau revealed that the company had neglected environmental management and conducted inspections untimely. Multiple sections of the waste gas collection pipelines in the aminoacetic acid workshop were inadequately sealed, resulting in some waste gases being emitted directly without collection or treatment. The Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau ordered the company to immediately rectify the issues and imposed a fine of RMB 50,000.
　　V. Case of Unorganized Emissions by Hebei Jinxin Coking Co., Ltd.
　　On March 17, a on-site inspection by the Gaocheng Branch of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau revealed that, during the coke‑pushing phase of the company’s coking process, incomplete collection of coke‑oven gas at the interface between the pusher car and the furnace door resulted in fugitive emissions. The Gaocheng Branch ordered the company to implement immediate corrective measures and imposed a fine of RMB 42,000.
　　VI. Case of Odor Pollution Involving Hebei Yatian Agrochemical Co., Ltd.
　　On March 13, an on-site inspection by the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau revealed that the company’s production site emitted a noticeable odor, and several odor‑emitting units—including the hydrolysis‑acidification tank and the anaerobic tank at the wastewater treatment plant—were not properly enclosed. In accordance with the law, the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau initiated an administrative investigation into the company and ordered it to implement immediate corrective measures.
　　VII. Case of Odor Pollution at the Shijiazhuang Dyestuff Factory
　　On January 15, an on-site inspection by the Ecological Environment Bureau of the Circular Chemical Industry Park revealed that the plant’s sodium‑ammonia workshop was in operation. The workshop had failed to implement required containment measures, resulting in the release of ammonia‑containing exhaust gases and the emission of a noticeable ammonia odor that adversely affected the surrounding environment. The Bureau ordered the plant to immediately rectify the situation and imposed a fine of RMB 100,000.
　　VIII. Dust Pollution Case Involving Hebei Ruichi Ready-Mixed Concrete Co., Ltd.
　　On March 8, an on-site inspection by the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment of the Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau revealed that the company had unilaterally shut down the water-spraying dust-suppression system at the feed inlet of its cement-mixing production line. Additionally, approximately 10,000 cubic meters of waste sand and gravel were stockpiled in the open within the plant premises, resulting in severe fugitive dust pollution. The Shijiazhuang Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau ordered the company to immediately rectify the violations and imposed a fine of RMB 50,000.