China: State Environmental Protection Administration report on environmental violations in Guizhou, Jilin, Heilongjiang

Cover-up of pollution in Guizhou [China]
Minnie Chan, South China Morning Post 15 Oct 2006
A report issued by the State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) following investigations into water pollution in Guizhou, Jilin and Heilongjiang said it found extensive illegal operations in the provinces' power plants...In Guizhou..., 287 of 8,274 enterprises investigated had been penalised by mid-September...In Liupanshui, one senior official publicly denied the city had a coal-chemical industry or drinking-water problems...Facilities that look complete on the outside are often just facades to fool environmental inspectors, the report said...The report also said three power plants near Liupanshui had not been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. "The production facility of Anshun Power Plant [in Guizhou] [owned by Guizhou CLP Power, part of CLP Holdings] is critically backwards...Two generators in Qing Township Power Plant [or Qingzhen Power Plant, part of China Huadian] should be shut down according to our country's policy, but they are still in production...In Jilin province, the Sepa team found local governments below the city level had turned a blind eye to many polluting factories being built on the upper reaches of rivers or drinking-water sources...In Jilin, steel factories refused to upgrade water-treatment facilities and continued to discharge effluent on farmland. The report said waste water discharged from leather, paper and milk industries in Heilongjiang did not meet environmental protection standards.

SEPA reports on investigations in Guizhou, Jilin and Heilongjiang [China]
State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), China 13 Oct 2006
Original article in Chinese. Title translation, and following summary of the article's key points, provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.]
SEPA issues report on the investigations regarding violations of environmental standards in the 3 provinces. 8274 enterprises were inspected throughout 2006, among which 287 violated environmental standards. 3 power plants that are named in the report as having serious problems are Yemazhai Power Plant (owned by Guizhou Zhongshui Energy Development), Anshun Power Plant (owned by Guizhou CLP Power, part of CLP Holdings) and Qingzhen Power Plant (owned by China Huadian), of which Yemazhai Power Plant has never been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, nor its environmental assessment approved by SEPA. Local officials are slack in enforcing regulations. Some even pre-alert businesses before an inspection is to take place. In Jilin, only 3 businesses have submitted environmental assessment report to the authorities, out of the 21 operating in Yadahong Industrial Park, Ningjiang District, Songyuan City. The location of Jilin Economic Development Zone is criticized by the report as "inappropriate" as it is situated at the upstream of Yuanjiang River, the main source of drinking water in Jilin. None of the businesses in the Zone have obtained a proper environmental licence before operating. In Heilongjiang, 6363 businesses had been inspected with 426 illegal operating, 39 closed down due to violations and 262 fined. Many of the businesses are found to have violated the "3 Simultaneous Principles" (meaning environmental facilities are to be designed, implemented and operating simultaneously with the production facilities), including: Harbin Yilan Zhongtai Chemical, Daqing Lindian Celestial Sun Moon Star Proteins (part of Celestial Nutrifoods), Daqing Qingxin Paper Industry, Daqing Beixing Smelting Plant, Daqing Shunchang Powder Soot Plant, Daqing Miaoshi Dairy (part of Miaoshi Dairy), Du'erbote Chenshen Food Products (part of Chenshen) and Daqing Bigang Starch. Others have exceeded permissible emission levels of pollutants, including: Daqing Zhaoyuan Leather Industrial Park, Qiqiha'er Heilongjiang Sida Paper Industry (part of Sida Interntional) and Heilongjiang Flying Crane Milk Products (part of Flying Crane).