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Chinese coal company releasing toxic wastewater, Greenpeace says
Chinese coal company releasing toxic wastewater, Greenpeace says
State-owned mining firm's operations in Inner Mongolia depleting groundwater levels and polluting water sources, report claims
Reuters guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 23 July 2013 07.52 EDT
The Shenhua coal-to-liquid project discharges wastewater into the hills, which seeps into the ground, in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Photograph: Qiu Bo/Greenpeace
A project operated by China's largest coal miner, Shenhua Group, has reduced groundwater levels in an Inner Mongolia region and discharged high levels of toxic wastewater, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.
The report, the first by Greenpeace to single out and publicly challenge one of China's powerful state-owned companies, comes as the country's new leadership steps up its focus on pollution amid growing protests over environmental degradation.
China recently cancelled plans to build a $6bn (£4bn) uranium processing plant after hundreds of protestors took to the streets. Other petrochemical projects have also been cancelled after mass demonstrations.
Shenhua's coal-to-liquid pilot close to Ordos city is one of three such projects operating in China. It has drained more than 50m tonnes of groundwater from the Haolebaoji region since 2006, Greenpeace said in the report.
"We are taking these allegations very seriously ...
State-owned mining firm's operations in Inner Mongolia depleting groundwater levels and polluting water sources, report claims
Reuters guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 23 July 2013 07.52 EDT
The Shenhua coal-to-liquid project discharges wastewater into the hills, which seeps into the ground, in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Photograph: Qiu Bo/Greenpeace
A project operated by China's largest coal miner, Shenhua Group, has reduced groundwater levels in an Inner Mongolia region and discharged high levels of toxic wastewater, environmental campaign group Greenpeace said on Tuesday.
The report, the first by Greenpeace to single out and publicly challenge one of China's powerful state-owned companies, comes as the country's new leadership steps up its focus on pollution amid growing protests over environmental degradation.
China recently cancelled plans to build a $6bn (£4bn) uranium processing plant after hundreds of protestors took to the streets. Other petrochemical projects have also been cancelled after mass demonstrations.
Shenhua's coal-to-liquid pilot close to Ordos city is one of three such projects operating in China. It has drained more than 50m tonnes of groundwater from the Haolebaoji region since 2006, Greenpeace said in the report.
"We are taking these allegations very seriously ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/23/chinese-coal-toxic-wastewater
Just a note: I've read innumerable times - right here on DU - that the criticisms made by GreenPeace of nuclear energy are a sham designed to promote coal. I suppose that makes this a clever ploy to divert attention from their true agenda. - k
