The Ministry of Ecology and Environment notified ten reward cases for reporting violations of ecological environment.
Cctv newsAccording to the website of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, in April, 2020, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the Guiding Opinions on Implementing the Reward System for Reporting Violations of Ecological Environment, guiding all localities to establish and implement the reward system for reporting violations of ecological environment, and requiring provincial and municipal ecological environment departments to establish and implement the reward system for reporting violations of ecological environment before the end of 2020.
Recently, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported the progress and typical cases of reporting and rewarding violations of ecological environment. At present, 30 provincial-level and 313 prefecture-level ecological and environmental departments have formulated and promulgated reward regulations for reporting. In 2020, 13,870 reward cases were implemented nationwide, an increase of 44% year-on-year; The total reward was 7.19 million yuan, up 100% year-on-year. From the geographical distribution of cases, Henan, Anhui, Sichuan, Shandong and Guangdong are in the top. From the total amount of awards, Guangdong, Hebei, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu are in the top.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment pointed out that the reward system for reporting has played an important role in encouraging people to participate in the cause of ecological environmental protection, broadening the channels for finding environmental pollution problems, optimizing the law enforcement methods of ecological environment, raising the awareness of enterprises to abide by the law consciously, and promoting the realization of "three pollution control". Through the reward system for reporting, various localities have investigated and dealt with a number of major cases, which has effectively deterred all kinds of environmental violations.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment said that the reward system for reporting is an important measure to optimize the law enforcement methods of ecological environmental protection and improve the efficiency of law enforcement. All localities should further promote the implementation, make full use of the reward system for reporting, further improve the pertinence and operability of this system, and use it as a bridge between the ecological environment department and the people to further enhance the people’s ecological environment satisfaction and happiness.
At the same time, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment also reported 10 typical cases of implementing the reward system for reporting. The eco-environment departments of Henan, Anhui, Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces, as well as the eco-environment departments (bureaus) of Tianjin, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Guangxi and Gansu provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions), Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian, Rencheng, Jining, Shandong, Dongguan, Guangdong, and Suining, Sichuan, which have achieved remarkable rewards for reporting.
Ten typical cases of implementing the reward system for reporting are:
Case 1: Tianjin Eco-environment Bureau rewarded people for reporting cases of illegal disposal of waste lead-acid batteries.
In July, 2020, people reported by telephone that someone illegally collected and disposed of waste lead-acid batteries at an unnamed collection point in wuqing district, Tianjin, causing environmental pollution. According to the tip-off, Tianjin Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Corps, together with Tianjin Public Security Bureau, wuqing district Ecological Environment Bureau and wuqing district Public Security Bureau, responded quickly and conducted joint on-site inspection at the first time. It was found that there were dozens of tons of waste lead-acid batteries (classified as HW31 hazardous waste) at the site of the collection point. After the operators poured out some acid from the waste lead-acid batteries, they used the workshop sewer pipe to discharge them into the external environment for natural leakage. After sampling and monitoring the wastewater in the underground pipe, the pH value is less than 1, which is strongly acidic, and the total lead concentration is 10.4 mg/L. The public security organ immediately fixed the evidence and took compulsory measures against the relevant responsible persons. Tianjin wuqing district Ecological Environment Bureau investigated and dealt with the collection point according to law, and transferred its suspected environmental pollution crime to the public security organs. At present, the public security organs have arrested 44 suspects and the case is under investigation.
On September 27th, 2020, Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment gave the whistleblower a reward of 200,000 yuan according to the relevant provisions of the Interim Measures for Reporting Environmental Violations in Tianjin and the Special Action Plan for Comprehensive Investigation and Remediation of Hazardous Wastes in Tianjin.
Case 2: Jiangsu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment rewarded people for reporting a case of a factory discharging toxic substances.
In February 2019, the masses reported by telephone that the sewage in the electroplating workshop of an unnamed telescope parts factory in Rugao City, Jiangsu Province was directly discharged into the river. According to the clues, law enforcement officers of Rugao Ecological Environment Bureau of Nantong City conducted an on-site inspection of the factory. The inspection found that Tian rented the house of the factory to engage in the surface treatment project of the sight barrel, and discharged the untreated washing wastewater into a pond on the northeast side with a large amount of black water. The sampling and monitoring results showed that the pH value of the wastewater in the pond was 2.92, the chemical oxygen demand was 324mg/L, the total phosphorus was 46.8mg/L, and the total nickel was 1.43 mg/L. On February 25th, Rugao Ecological Environment Bureau of Nantong City took measures to seal up the factory, and transferred it to the public security organs for discharging toxic substances in the form of concealed pipes and pits, which was suspected of polluting the environment. In December 2020, Tian was sentenced to seven months in prison and fined 50,000 yuan for committing environmental pollution.
On May 24, 2019, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Jiangsu Province held a centralized award-winning activity for whistle-blowers of eco-environmental violations in the province. According to the relevant provisions of "Several Provisions on Protecting and Rewarding Whistleblowers of Eco-environmental Violations in Jiangsu Province (Trial)", the whistle-blower was awarded an important contribution award and was awarded 10,000 yuan.
Case 3: Zhejiang Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment rewarded people for reporting cases of illegal dumping of industrial solid waste across the city.
On May 17, 2018, the masses reported to the Zhejiang Environmental Law Enforcement Inspection Corps by telephone, reflecting that a batch of printing and dyeing sludge in Shaoxing City was transported and dumped to Jinhua City through Shaoxing Yuanteng Transportation Co., Ltd., and some license plates and parking addresses were provided. After receiving the report, the corps immediately sent law enforcement officers to Shaoxing to organize an investigation. After investigation, from 2017 to 2018, under the unified coordination of a chamber of commerce in Shaoxing, more than 30 printing and dyeing enterprises in Shaoxing entrusted the printing and dyeing sludge generated in the production process to Yiwu Lvwei Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. and Lanxi Huaying Brick and Tile Factory for incineration, and entrusted a transportation company in Shaoxing for transportation. From November 2017 to June 2018, the environmental protection technology company and the brick and tile factory respectively arranged personnel to look for illegal landfill sites in the jurisdiction of Jinhua City and informed a transportation company. At night, the transportation company successively transported 26,000 tons of solid wastes containing toxic and harmful substances, such as printing and dyeing sludge, to 27 landfill sites in Jinhua City for illegal landfill, causing serious environmental pollution and direct and indirect losses of more than 50 million yuan. In October 2018, the Environmental Protection Bureau of Yuecheng District and Keqiao District of Shaoxing City imposed administrative penalties on seven enterprises involved. On May 9, 2019, the People’s Procuratorate of Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province filed a public prosecution. On November 27, 2020, the People’s Court of Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province investigated 52 individuals and 2 units for criminal responsibility for environmental pollution, and the responsible persons were sentenced to 5 years respectively. Fixed-term imprisonment ranging from one year to six months,At the same time, it was decided to bear 55.419 million yuan of social public interest loss compensation, and apologized in the newspaper.
The Department of Ecology and Environment of Zhejiang Province gave the whistleblower a reward of 70,000 yuan according to the relevant provisions of the Interim Measures for Reporting and Rewarding Environmental Violations of Solid Wastes in Zhejiang Province and the Implementation Rules for Reporting and Rewarding Environmental Violations of Solid Wastes in Zhejiang Province jointly issued by the former Environmental Protection Department and the Provincial Department of Finance.
Case 4: The Department of Ecology and Environment of Henan Province rewards people for reporting industrial wastewater cases.
On August 10, 2020, the masses reported to the Law Enforcement and Supervision Bureau of Ecological Environment of Henan Province that an unnamed zinc plating plant near Mingzhu Island living area in Jiyuan Demonstration Zone had illegally discharged wastewater. After receiving the report, the Law Enforcement Supervision Bureau immediately organized law enforcement officers to carry out investigations. After investigation, it was found that the zinc plating plant did not have any environmental protection procedures, nor did it build any supporting pollution prevention facilities. The zinc plating waste gas was directly discharged, and the cleaning wastewater was directly discharged into the pit on the northwest side of the plant. By sampling and testing the washing wastewater discharged from the pit and the liquid in electroplating bath, it was found that the pH value of the discharged wastewater was 3.56, the total zinc concentration was 175mg/L, and the total chromium concentration was 10.5 mg/L. The total zinc concentration and the total chromium concentration exceeded the standard by 116 times and 9.5 times respectively.
Jiyuan City Ecological Environment Bureau transferred the case to the public security organ for criminal responsibility. At present, the public security organ has criminally detained one person and the case is under investigation.
According to the relevant provisions of the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Environmental Pollution Reporting Awards in Henan Province, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Henan Province gave the whistleblower a reward of 50,000 yuan.
Case 5: The Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region rewarded people for reporting cases of illegal dumping of hazardous wastes.
On the evening of January 8, 2020, the masses reported through the "12369" environmental protection hotline of the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, reflecting that Wuzhou tengxian Wuzhou Jiayuan Industrial Co., Ltd. illegally dumped and buried the waste residue produced by the factory, which seriously polluted the environment. On January 9th, the Department of Ecology and Environment of the Autonomous Region sent law enforcement officers to the scene to investigate together with Wuzhou Ecological Environment Bureau and tengxian Ecological Environment Bureau. After investigation, the company transported the generated acid-hydrolyzed black mud to a brick factory in tengxian for disposal from May to September, 2017. Due to the closure of the brick factory, a large number of acid-hydrolyzed black mud piles remained in the brick factory. In late December, 2019, the company, Yumou and Huangmou, entrusted Huangmou in heping town to treat the acid-hydrolyzed black mud in the brick factory, knowing that they were not qualified to treat hazardous wastes. From January 5th to 6th, 2020, Hwang transported the acidolysis black mud to Jigongchong Paradise Ridge in Xinliang Village, heping town for dumping and landfill, with a total weight of about 1,280 tons.
On February 17th, 2020, the Bureau of Ecology and Environment of tengxian, Wuzhou City transferred the case to tengxian Public Security Bureau. On December 25th, tengxian People’s Procuratorate prosecuted four suspects involved in the case. Recently, the tengxian People’s Court fined the company 1 million yuan for committing environmental pollution. Four defendants, Guimou, Adong, Ayi and Artest, were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fined ranging from 100,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan for committing environmental pollution.
On March 5, 2020, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region gave the whistleblower a reward of 10,000 yuan according to the relevant provisions of the Measures for Reporting Environmental Violations in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Case 6: Gansu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment rewarded an environmental public welfare organization for reporting environmental violations.
On September 4th, 2020, an environmental protection public welfare organization reported to the Department of Ecology and Environment of Gansu Province through the Investigation Report of Jiuquan Circular Economy Industrial Park, which reflected the ecological environment, planning and water source protection of the park. Gansu Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment immediately sent a special investigation team to conduct on-site verification. The investigation team will work with Jiuquan Municipal People’s Government, Park Management Committee, planning department, water conservancy department, land department, forestry and grass department and other departments to investigate and verify relevant illegal acts.
After investigation, Yumen Kangbao Mining Co., Ltd. failed to build circulating pool and sedimentation tank according to the requirements of EIA, and the production wastewater was discharged into the tailings pond previously built by the enterprise; In addition, the company also has environmental violations without prior inspection. Yumen Branch of Jiuquan Eco-environment Bureau investigated and dealt with the company’s environmental violations, ordered it to correct the violations according to law, and imposed a fine of 200,000 yuan. Jiuquan Haohai Coal Chemical Co., Ltd. built a 1,000,000-ton/year tamping coke project in Yumen Dongzhen Industrial Park. The ground dust removal station did not start running, and a large amount of yellow flue gas was directly discharged during the coal loading process of No.1 coke oven. Yumen Branch of Jiuquan Ecological Environment Bureau filed an investigation on the environmental illegal behavior of the company’s unorganized flue gas emission, ordered to correct the illegal behavior according to law, and fined 180,000 yuan.
The Department of Ecology and Environment of Gansu Province awarded the organization a reward of 10,000 yuan according to the relevant provisions of the Measures for Reporting and Rewarding Violations of Ecological Environment in Gansu Province (Trial).
Case 7: Jinjiang Ecological Environment Bureau of Quanzhou City, Fujian Province rewarded WeChat for reporting the case that an enterprise discharged wastewater containing heavy metals beyond the standard.
On April 3, 2019, the masses reported to Jinjiang Ecological Environment Bureau of Quanzhou City, Fujian Province through WeChat, reflecting the illegal production of an unknown stainless steel door flower processing point in Qunfeng Road, Neikeng Town, Jinjiang City. After receiving the report information, Quanzhou Jinjiang Ecological Environment Bureau immediately assigned the Neikeng Environmental Protection Squadron in its jurisdiction to verify. After on-site verification, Quanzhou Jinjiang Ecological Environment Bureau set up a task force to conduct on-site investigation with Jinjiang Environmental Monitoring Station and Jinjiang Public Security Bureau Neikeng Police Station.
After investigation, it was found that the processing point was a stainless steel door flower processing point operated by Wen Moumou, and the environmental protection "three simultaneities" acceptance of the construction project was not handled. At the time of on-site inspection, the processing site was producing, cleaning wastewater was being discharged and there was deposition of production wastewater on the ground. Sampling and monitoring showed that the concentrations of hexavalent chromium, total chromium, copper and nickel in the production wastewater discharged from the white PVC pipeline exceeded the standard by 4-50 times respectively. The concentrations of hexavalent chromium, total chromium, copper and nickel in the ground water exceeded the standard by 31-260 times respectively. The concentration of total chromium and hexavalent chromium heavy metal pollutants in the wastewater illegally discharged from this processing point has exceeded the standard by three times, and the concentration of copper-containing heavy metal pollutants has exceeded the standard by ten times, which is suspected of environmental pollution. Quanzhou Jinjiang Ecological Environment Bureau transferred the case to Jinjiang Public Security Bureau for investigation. After the public security organ filed a case for investigation, it arrested the suspect Wen Moumou and his accomplice Zeng Moumou. In view of the fact that the discharge of wastewater containing heavy metals from the processing plant may cause damage to the surrounding environment, the public security organ entrusted a judicial appraisal institution for appraisal, and the Jinjiang Municipal People’s Procuratorate subsequently filed a criminal incidental civil environmental public interest lawsuit. At the same time, Jinjiang Ecological Environment Bureau of Quanzhou City filed a case for punishment for the illegal act of not handling the "three simultaneities" acceptance of environmental protection for the completion of the construction project, and fined 200,000 yuan.
Quanzhou Jinjiang Eco-environment Bureau rewarded the whistleblower with 10,000 yuan according to the relevant provisions of Jinjiang Environmental Protection Award Reporting Regulations.
Case 8: rencheng district Branch of Jining City Ecological Environment Bureau of Shandong Province rewarded WeChat for reporting the case of enterprises’ abnormal operation of pollution prevention and control facilities in the form of WeChat red envelopes.
On May 25, 2020, the masses reported to rencheng district Branch of Jining Ecological Environment Bureau of Shandong Province through the WeChat account of environmental protection prize, reflecting that Shandong Shankuang Machinery Co., Ltd. did not use the welding fume purifier in the production of welding process, and the waste gas was directly discharged.
After receiving the report, the person in charge of the reward for environmental protection report of rencheng district Branch of Jining Ecological Environment Bureau immediately handed over the illegal clues to the environmental law enforcement personnel of the branch. Law enforcement officers immediately went to the scene to investigate and collect evidence. On-site inspection found that the workers in the assembly workshop of the company were welding the packaging rack. Because of the large workpiece, the workers violated the management requirements when welding, and did not use the welding smoke purifier. The smell in the workshop was pungent and the exhaust gas was directly discharged.
Rencheng district Branch of the Bureau of Ecological Environment of Jining City, Shandong Province, according to the relevant provisions of the Interim Provisions of rencheng district on Environmental Protection Award-winning WeChat Reporting, on the day of on-site verification, 100 yuan, the whistleblower, was given a reward in the form of a WeChat red envelope.
Case 9: The Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Dongguan City, Guangdong Province rewarded the public for reporting a case of a company discharging toxic substances.
In November-December, 2019, during the trial of the reward reporting policy in Shima River Basin in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, the masses reported that the illegal electroplating workshop was hidden in Dongguan Feitianma Plastic Hardware Products Co., Ltd., Fenggang Town, Guangdong Province, and provided the company with important clues such as locking the door at night to escape the attack, and specially setting up a back door for employees to avoid inspection. Dongguan Ecological Environment Bureau immediately contacted the public security organs and monitoring departments for careful deployment. On the evening of November 22, Dongguan Ecological Environment Bureau, together with the staff of Fenggang Public Security Bureau and Dongguan Environmental Monitoring Center Station, divided into three ways, found the entrance of illegal electroplating workshop inside the enterprise, and controlled six employees in the workshop on the spot. On-site inspection found that the workshop was equipped with 12 electroplating bath, 5 stainless steel heating tanks, and various appliances and raw materials for electroplating. The results of on-site water sampling showed that the concentrations of total chromium, total copper, total nickel, total zinc and total lead seriously exceeded the standard, which was suspected of environmental pollution crime.
According to the relevant provisions of the Announcement on the Trial Implementation of Rewarding Reports on Illegal Discharge of Phosphorus-containing Industrial Wastewater, the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment gave the whistleblower a reward of 500,000 yuan.
Case 10: Shehong Ecological Environment Bureau of Suining City, Sichuan Province rewarded WeChat for reporting the case of enterprises evading supervision and discharging pollutants.
On February 16, 2020, the masses reported to Shehong Ecological Environment Bureau of Suining City, Sichuan Province through WeChat, reflecting that the wastewater from Hongcheng Waste Treatment and Landfill Co., Ltd. in Shehong County was directly discharged into Fujiang River. Shehong County Environmental Monitoring and Law Enforcement Brigade immediately organized personnel to investigate. On-site inspection found that the landfill treatment company directly discharged the leachate from the collection pond into the rainwater ditch through PVC pipe with submersible pump, and finally flowed into Fujiang River. After investigation, the company discharged pollutants into the external environment in a way of evading supervision. The Shehong Ecological Environment Bureau fined the company 550,000 yuan and transferred the relevant personnel involved to the public security organs. At present, the case has been pronounced in the first instance, and the two defendants were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment and criminal detention and fined for environmental pollution.
On July 1, 2020, Suining City Bureau of Ecology and Environment rewarded the whistleblower with 2,000 yuan according to the relevant provisions of the Measures for Rewarding Reports of Ecological and Environmental Violations in Suining City.