The Ministry of Ecology and Environment demands immediate corrective action: The blind expansion of coking projects in Inner Mongolia has resulted in a registered production capacity of 108 million tons within half a year, which is nearly twice the existing production capacity
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On May 19, 2022, the sixth meeting of the Leading Group for Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspections approved the inspection report. With the approval of **** and the State Council, the inspection team provided feedback to the Party Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and ** on June 2, 2022. The coking projects in Inner Mongolia have expanded blindly; the registered production capacity within half a year has reached 108 million tons, which is nearly twice the existing capacity. To thoroughly implement the **concepts of ecological civilization, and in accordance with the \"Regulations on Central Environmental Protection Inspections,\" the Third Central Environmental Protection Inspection Team (hereinafter referred to as the inspection team) conducted the second round of environmental protection inspections in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. On May 19, 2022, the sixth meeting of the Leading Group for Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspections approved the inspection report. With the approval of **** and the State Council, the inspection team provided feedback to the Party Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and ** on June 2, 2022. Huang Longyun, head of the inspection team, presented the inspection report; Sun Shaocheng, secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, delivered a statement; Wang Lixia, head of the Autonomous Region, presided over the meeting. Deputy Team Leader Lin Shanqing, members of the inspection team, relevant leaders from the Autonomous Region Party Committee and **, officials from relevant departments, as well as the main party and government leaders of various leagues and cities attended the meeting. The inspector believes that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has earnestly studied and implemented the concepts of ecological civilization as well as **’s important directives regarding environmental protection in Inner Mongolia. It has made significant efforts to strengthen China’s ecological security barrier in the north and to combat pollution, achieving considerable results through these efforts. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region regards safeguarding **ecological security as the top priority among the “five major political responsibilities,” and has formulated 22 specific plans, including the \"Plan for Building an Important Ecological Security Barrier in Northern China (2020–2035)\” and the \"Plan for Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.\" “Of the 99 treatment projects outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan for the management of \"one lake and two seas,\" 95 have been completed. The water ecosystem is showing signs of improvement, with the groundwater level in Chahannur gradually rising. The remediation work in the Tumujie Nature Reserve has been largely finished. Initial progress has been made in managing water resources in the Xiliao River basin, while the cleanup of pollution in the Tengger Desert has entered a phase of long-term monitoring. Actively promote the transformation toward green development and ecological protection and restoration. Accelerate the transformation and upgrading of industries, and phase out outdated and excess production capacity. Implement a new energy expansion initiative to build new energy bases with capacities of tens of millions of kilowatts in eastern and western Mongolia. A focused effort was made to address the \"four types of disorder\" in the Yellow River basin; comprehensive measures were taken to control soil erosion on 14.11 million mu of land, and ecological restoration work was carried out on 24.528 million mu of forest and grassland areas. By strengthening the strict constraints associated with the “three zones and three lines,” efforts to address desertified land have been pursued consistently; as a result, the ecology of the Maowusu Desert has shown signs of improvement on a regional level. The efforts to manage the Kubuqi Desert have provided a “Chinese model” for combating desertification worldwide. Make every effort to win the battle against pollution. 2,150 enterprises that were sources of pollution and disorder were brought under control; clean heating upgrades were carried out and small coal-fired boilers were phased out. In 2021, the PM2.5 concentration in the entire region was 23 micrograms per cubic meter, a 34.3% decrease compared to 2016. 134 sewage treatment plants in towns and industrial parks were built or upgraded, and 162 sewage outfalls discharging into rivers were sealed off; in 2021, the proportion of water bodies meeting high-quality standards at the national monitoring sites across the region reached 65%. Comprehensive efforts have been made to improve the rural living environment, with the treatment rate of domestic wastewater in rural and pastoral areas reaching 19.7%. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region attaches great importance to this inspection work, taking action to make improvements while conducting the inspections, and has resolved a number of environmental issues affecting the local population. As of the end of April 2022, out of the 2,829 complaints submitted by the public that were referred to the inspection team, 1,841 had been resolved or partially resolved; 872 entities were ordered to make corrections, 126 were subject to disciplinary action, 45 cases were placed under investigation, 73 people were summoned for discussions, and 72 people were held accountable. The inspector noted that Inner Mongolia possesses all the elements necessary for mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. Significant progress has been made in recent years in terms of ecological civilization construction and environmental protection. However, when compared to the important directives regarding environmental protection in Inner Mongolia, as well as the strategic requirements for establishing a major ecological security barrier in northern China, there are still gaps in the work done. In some areas and regions, there remain quite serious environmental problems.
First, the implementation of the **concept of ecological civilization is not yet adequate. Some localities and departments lack a profound understanding of the new development concept, resulting in weak internal momentum for promoting high-quality development. There are frequent issues regarding the protection of grasslands and forests giving way to development activities such as mining. The Ula Mountain range and the desert-steppe areas in the northeastern part of Qian’ula Banner, Bayannur City, have fragile ecosystems, yet there are still numerous cases of illegal mining activities in those areas. 62 mining projects in Ulaat Qianqi have illegally occupied nearly 30,000 mu of desert grasslands. Moreover, the local authorities have violated the autonomous region’s overall plan for mineral resources by carrying out large-scale extraction of ultra-poor magnetite, resulting in severe ecological damage. By the end of 2021, among the 1,482 active and valid open-pit mines in the autonomous region, over 500 square kilometers required remediation. The Huzhubuqinxiile limestone mining area in Wuhai City had been shut down for more than 10 years without any remedial work being carried out. “The “Two Highs” project was launched in violation of regulations. Since 2018, as many as 42 high-energy-consuming and high-emission projects have been constructed in the autonomous region in violation of energy-saving regulations. There was reckless expansion of coking projects. In July 2020, the regional industry and information technology department pushed for the issuance of a document that abolished the regulations on total capacity limits for coking projects as well as the policy regarding capacity replacement. Within half a year, 26 coking projects were registered in 8 different regions, with a total registered capacity of 108 million tons – almost twice the capacity already existing before the issuance of that document. When submitting plans for the improvement of coking projects, cities such as Wuhai and Alxa included in their reports those production capacities that had been approved and registered over a decade ago but for which no actual construction had taken place; these capacities were proposed to be retained for further development or used as part of the capacity replacement quota. The relevant authorities failed to exercise proper oversight, agreeing to keep some projects that should have had their registrations revoked. In 2019, the Alxa High-Tech Industrial Development Zone introduced a system of commitment-based access, which allowed 19 energy-consuming projects to be constructed without prior approval. Some departments fail to properly fulfill their responsibilities for ecological and environmental protection. Since 2018, the natural resources authorities of the autonomous region have approved 53 new mining rights or extensions of existing ones that overlap with natural conservation areas. Seven mining sites in Chifeng’s Huanggang Mining area and Keshiketeng Banner’s Northwest Mining area cover a total area of nearly 25 square kilometers, all of which are located within the Huanggangliang Forest Park. The water resources authorities in the autonomous region fail to provide effective oversight over the chaotic management of water extraction permits; since 2018, the actual amount of groundwater extracted in the Qipanjing area of Ordos City has been more than twice the amount reported. In the first round of central ecological and environmental protection inspections and the follow-up rectification tasks, there were instances where the quality of the rectifications was not high. Since October 2020, the wastewater treatment facilities at Hulunbuir Northern Pharmaceutical have been operating abnormally for an extended period, and illegal practices such as diluted discharge and intermittent illegal discharges have taken place.
Second, there are gaps in the ecological environment protection in the Yellow River Basin. Problems with unauthorized water extraction and use are prominent. The Sanshenggong water control project has for a long time increased its water withdrawal from the Yellow River without authorization, and the water resources department in Bayannur City issued water withdrawal permits for it beyond its authority. Baotou Chuangshou Water Services Company has drawn more water from the Yellow River for 12 consecutive years; the city’s water resources department arbitrarily approved the company’s practice of supplying water directly to industrial enterprises in violation of regulations. Dongxing Chemical Company in Ulanqab City has been drawing water in violation of regulations for a long time; in 2020, the local water resources authorities split up its projects in order to simplify the approval process and reduce the requirements. State Energy Baotou Coal Chemical and other enterprises within the Ulan Buhu Ecological Sand Industry Demonstration Park in Alxa League have been drawing water illegally for a long time. Progress in water conservation efforts is slow. Baotou City was supposed to build 6 reclaimed water utilization projects and lay 226 kilometers of pipelines by the end of 2020; however, by the time of the inspection, only 3 projects had been completed, with 28.6 kilometers of pipelines laid. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Hohhot planned to build a recycled water pipeline network of 90.7 kilometers, but as of 2021 only 49 kilometers had been completed. The extensive water use in the irrigation areas of Bayannur City poses challenges to the environmental protection of the Wuliangsuhai Lake. The problem of illegal occupation of river channels is serious. The lower reaches of the Wulamulun River in Ordos City have been illegally occupied by enterprises for a long time; despite knowing that a mining rights grant overlapped with the river area, the local natural resources department still extended the mining license for those enterprises in November 2021. In 2017, Etoke Banner changed the course of the Wuzhulin Gou river on the pretext of flood control, to make way for mining activities, and illegally approved a company’s construction of a reservoir with a capacity of 165,000 cubic meters on the bank to capture water resources. The water environmental pollution situation is severe in some areas. As the city’s main outlet for discharging wastewater into the Yellow River, the Baotou tailwater project has 5 out of the 13 key projects planned for construction yet to be completed. As a result of excessive and excessive-standard wastewater discharge over the long term, the water quality at the entrance of the Erdaoshah River into the Yellow River remains in the poor V category. The water quality at certain sections of the Daheihe and Xiaoheihe rivers in Hohhot has also long been classified as poor Class V.
Ministry of Ecology and Environment: Blind expansion of coking projects in Inner Mongolia – immediate corrective actions required 2022-06-07 14:03·China Chemical Industry Information Weekly Introduction: On May 19, 2022, the sixth meeting of the Central Leading Group for Ecological and Environmental Inspection approved the inspection report. With the approval of **** and the State Council, the inspection team provided feedback to the Party Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and ** on June 2, 2022. The coking projects in Inner Mongolia have expanded blindly; the registered production capacity within half a year has reached 108 million tons, which is nearly twice the existing capacity. To thoroughly implement the **concepts of ecological civilization, and in accordance with the \"Regulations on Central Environmental Protection Inspections,\" the Third Central Environmental Protection Inspection Team (hereinafter referred to as the inspection team) conducted the second round of environmental protection inspections in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. On May 19, 2022, the sixth meeting of the Leading Group for Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspections approved the inspection report. With the approval of **** and the State Council, the inspection team provided feedback to the Party Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and ** on June 2, 2022. Huang Longyun, head of the inspection team, presented the inspection report; Sun Shaocheng, secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, delivered a statement; Wang Lixia, head of the Autonomous Region, presided over the meeting. Deputy Team Leader Lin Shanqing, members of the inspection team, relevant leaders from the Autonomous Region Party Committee and **, officials from relevant departments, as well as the main party and government leaders of various leagues and cities attended the meeting. The inspector believes that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has earnestly studied and implemented the concepts of ecological civilization as well as **’s important directives regarding environmental protection in Inner Mongolia. It has made significant efforts to strengthen China’s ecological security barrier in the north and to combat pollution, achieving considerable results through these efforts. Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region regards safeguarding **ecological security as the top priority among the “five major political responsibilities,” and has formulated 22 specific plans, including the \"Plan for Building an Important Ecological Security Barrier in Northern China (2020–2035)\” and the \"Plan for Ecological Protection and High-Quality Development in the Yellow River Basin of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.\" “Of the 99 treatment projects outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan for the management of \"one lake and two seas,\" 95 have been completed. The water ecosystem is showing signs of improvement, with the groundwater level in Chahannur gradually rising. The remediation work in the Tumujie Nature Reserve has been largely finished. Initial progress has been made in managing water resources in the Xiliao River basin, while the cleanup of pollution in the Tengger Desert has entered a phase of long-term monitoring. Actively promote the transformation toward green development and ecological protection and restoration. Accelerate the transformation and upgrading of industries, and phase out outdated and excess production capacity. Implement a new energy expansion initiative to build new energy bases with capacities of tens of millions of kilowatts in eastern and western Mongolia. A focused effort was made to address the \"four types of disorder\" in the Yellow River basin; comprehensive measures were taken to control soil erosion on 14.11 million mu of land, and ecological restoration work was carried out on 24.528 million mu of forest and grassland areas. By strengthening the strict constraints associated with the “three zones and three lines,” efforts to address desertified land have been pursued consistently; as a result, the ecology of the Maowusu Desert has shown signs of improvement on a regional level. The efforts to manage the Kubuqi Desert have provided a “Chinese model” for combating desertification worldwide. Make every effort to win the battle against pollution. 2,150 enterprises that were sources of pollution and disorder were brought under control; clean heating upgrades were carried out and small coal-fired boilers were phased out. In 2021, the PM2.5 concentration in the entire region was 23 micrograms per cubic meter, a 34.3% decrease compared to 2016. 134 sewage treatment plants in towns and industrial parks were built or upgraded, and 162 sewage outfalls discharging into rivers were sealed off; in 2021, the proportion of water bodies meeting high-quality standards at the national monitoring sites across the region reached 65%. Comprehensive efforts have been made to improve the rural living environment, with the treatment rate of domestic wastewater in rural and pastoral areas reaching 19.7%. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region attaches great importance to this inspection work, taking action to make improvements while conducting the inspections, and has resolved a number of environmental issues affecting the local population. As of the end of April 2022, out of the 2,829 complaints submitted by the public that were referred to the inspection team, 1,841 had been resolved or partially resolved; 872 entities were ordered to make corrections, 126 were subject to disciplinary action, 45 cases were placed under investigation, 73 people were summoned for discussions, and 72 people were held accountable. The inspector noted that Inner Mongolia possesses all the elements necessary for mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. Significant progress has been made in recent years in terms of ecological civilization construction and environmental protection. However, when compared to the important directives regarding environmental protection in Inner Mongolia, as well as the strategic requirements for establishing a major ecological security barrier in northern China, there are still gaps in the work done. In some areas and regions, there remain quite serious environmental problems. First, the implementation of the **concept of ecological civilization is not yet adequate. Some localities and departments lack a profound understanding of the new development concept, resulting in weak internal momentum for promoting high-quality development. There are frequent issues regarding the protection of grasslands and forests giving way to development activities such as mining. The Ula Mountain range and the desert-steppe areas in the northeastern part of Qian’ula Banner, Bayannur City, have fragile ecosystems, yet there are still numerous cases of illegal mining activities in those areas. 62 mining projects in Ulaat Qianqi have illegally occupied nearly 30,000 mu of desert grasslands. Moreover, the local authorities have violated the autonomous region’s overall plan for mineral resources by carrying out large-scale extraction of ultra-poor magnetite, resulting in severe ecological damage. By the end of 2021, among the 1,482 active and valid open-pit mines in the autonomous region, over 500 square kilometers required remediation. The Huzhubuqinxiile limestone mining area in Wuhai City had been shut down for more than 10 years without any remedial work being carried out. “The “Two Highs” project was launched in violation of regulations. Since 2018, as many as 42 high-energy-consuming and high-emission projects have been constructed in the autonomous region in violation of energy-saving regulations. There was reckless expansion of coking projects. In July 2020, the regional industry and information technology department pushed for the issuance of a document that abolished the regulations on total capacity limits for coking projects as well as the policy regarding capacity replacement. Within half a year, 26 coking projects were registered in 8 different regions, with a total registered capacity of 108 million tons – almost twice the capacity already existing before the issuance of that document. When submitting plans for the improvement of coking projects, cities such as Wuhai and Alxa included in their reports those production capacities that had been approved and registered over a decade ago but for which no actual construction had taken place; these capacities were proposed to be retained for further development or used as part of the capacity replacement quota. The relevant authorities failed to exercise proper oversight, agreeing to keep some projects that should have had their registrations revoked. In 2019, the Alxa High-Tech Industrial Development Zone introduced a system of commitment-based access, which allowed 19 energy-consuming projects to be constructed without prior approval. Some departments fail to properly fulfill their responsibilities for ecological and environmental protection. Since 2018, the natural resources authorities of the autonomous region have approved 53 new mining rights or extensions of existing ones that overlap with natural conservation areas. Seven mining sites in Chifeng’s Huanggang Mining area and Keshiketeng Banner’s Northwest Mining area cover a total area of nearly 25 square kilometers, all of which are located within the Huanggangliang Forest Park. The water resources authorities in the autonomous region fail to provide effective oversight over the chaotic management of water extraction permits; since 2018, the actual amount of groundwater extracted in the Qipanjing area of Ordos City has been more than twice the amount reported. In the first round of central ecological and environmental protection inspections and the follow-up rectification tasks, there were instances where the quality of the rectifications was not high. Since October 2020, the wastewater treatment facilities at Hulunbuir Northern Pharmaceutical have been operating abnormally for an extended period, and illegal practices such as diluted discharge and intermittent illegal discharges have taken place. Second, there are gaps in the ecological environment protection in the Yellow River Basin. Problems with unauthorized water extraction and use are prominent. The Sanshenggong water control project has for a long time increased its water withdrawal from the Yellow River without authorization, and the water resources department in Bayannur City issued water withdrawal permits for it beyond its authority. Baotou Chuangshou Water Services Company has drawn more water from the Yellow River for 12 consecutive years; the city’s water resources department arbitrarily approved the company’s practice of supplying water directly to industrial enterprises in violation of regulations. Dongxing Chemical Company in Ulanqab City has been drawing water in violation of regulations for a long time; in 2020, the local water resources authorities split up its projects in order to simplify the approval process and reduce the requirements. State Energy Baotou Coal Chemical and other enterprises within the Ulan Buhu Ecological Sand Industry Demonstration Park in Alxa League have been drawing water illegally for a long time. Progress in water conservation efforts is slow. Baotou City was supposed to build 6 reclaimed water utilization projects and lay 226 kilometers of pipelines by the end of 2020; however, by the time of the inspection, only 3 projects had been completed, with 28.6 kilometers of pipelines laid. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Hohhot planned to build a recycled water pipeline network of 90.7 kilometers, but as of 2021 only 49 kilometers had been completed. The extensive water use in the irrigation areas of Bayannur City poses challenges to the environmental protection of the Wuliangsuhai Lake. The problem of illegal occupation of river channels is serious. The lower reaches of the Wulamulun River in Ordos City have been illegally occupied by enterprises for a long time; despite knowing that a mining rights grant overlapped with the river area, the local natural resources department still extended the mining license for those enterprises in November 2021. In 2017, Etoke Banner changed the course of the Wuzhulin Gou river on the pretext of flood control, to make way for mining activities, and illegally approved a company’s construction of a reservoir with a capacity of 165,000 cubic meters on the bank to capture water resources. The water environmental pollution situation is severe in some areas. As the city’s main outlet for discharging wastewater into the Yellow River, the Baotou tailwater project has 5 out of the 13 key projects planned for construction yet to be completed. As a result of excessive and excessive-standard wastewater discharge over the long term, the water quality at the entrance of the Erdaoshah River into the Yellow River remains in the poor V category. The water quality at certain sections of the Daheihe and Xiaoheihe rivers in Hohhot has also long been classified as poor Class V. Third, there are still shortcomings in the establishment of an ecological security barrier in the north. Grassland destruction occurs from time to time. The Bayanhar Aobao Gold Mine in Xilin Gol League has illegally occupied 2,953 mu of grasslands, while 4 projects including the Wolongquan Horse Racing Track have for a long time occupied 329 mu of prime grasslands in violation of regulations. The Zhamuqin lead-zinc mine in Xingan League has been illegally occupying 938 mu of grassland for a long time. Violations in nature reserves are frequent. The Water Affairs Bureau of Tumote Left Banner approved, on two occasions without authorization, the expansion of the dredging operations carried out by the Honglingjin Reservoir Management Office, thereby giving permission for them to carry out sand mining and washing activities within the Daqingshan **-level nature reserve. During the ecological restoration of the Daqingshan Mine in Qingshan District, Baotou City, unauthorized approval was given for the construction of 38 reservoirs, resulting in the occupation of 172.8 mu of land within the protected and experimental areas. The Hongshiyaya Ecotourism Project in Ulanqab City has illegally occupied the experimental area of the **-level Daqingshan Nature Reserve. Some livestock enterprises in Xilin Gol League have illegally occupied 237.4 mu of land within the experimental area of the **-level Xilin Gol Grassland Nature Reserve. The protection of black soil is inadequate. The implementation plan for the black soil protection project in the autonomous region was released late. Since 2018, non-agricultural construction projects approved for implementation in cities and leagues such as Hulunbuir, Chifeng, Tongliao, and Xingan League have occupied nearly 10,000 mu of black soil, with more than half failing to meet the requirements for topsoil removal and effective reuse. The Special Plan for the Control of Erosion Gullies in the Black Soil Regions of Northeast China (2016–2030) required Inner Mongolia to address 5,824 erosion gullies during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, but in reality only 935 were dealt with. The inspector also found that wetland protection in the autonomous region was insufficient; none of the 12 leagues and cities in the region had formulated wetland protection plans as required, and the rate of wetland protection failed to meet the planned target of 35%.
Fourth, there are some other issues that require attention. The construction and operation of environmental protection infrastructure are inadequate. Of the 98 municipal solid waste landfills in the region, 23 do not have leachate treatment facilities. The domestic waste landfill in Xilinhot City was put into operation in 2011, and leachate treatment facilities were not constructed until 2021. Some industrial parks in cities such as Hohhot and Baotou rely on municipal sewage treatment plants to treat industrial wastewater that exceeds the specified limits, which affects the stable operation of these sewage treatment plants. In Hohhot, only 21.9% of the sewage pipeline construction tasks outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan have been completed, while in Baotou, the drainage pipelines in the urban area are aging and damaged, with significant issues related to mixed connections of rainwater and sewage pipes. There is still a gap in the prevention and control of air pollution. In 2021, the average concentrations of ozone and PM10 in Wuhai and its surrounding areas increased instead of decreasing. The rectification of \"unregulated, polluting, and messy\" enterprises in the area is incomplete, and dust pollution in mining areas is severe. Six leagues and cities, including Hohhot, are designated as key areas for addressing pollution caused by diesel trucks; only 7% of such trucks are equipped with remote online monitoring systems, which is far below the target of 50% set for 2020. There are risks associated with the handling of solid waste and hazardous waste. Ordos City lacks the capacity for the disposal and utilization of industrial solid waste, with the amount of solid waste residue at the Wuhai chemical plant reaching 3.8 million cubic meters. The Hazardous Waste Disposal Center in Baotou City and Yuntong Non-ferrous Metals Company in Chifeng City have large amounts of hazardous waste stored there for long periods, posing significant environmental risks. The disposal of medical waste at Ulanqab HuanTai Medical Waste Disposal Company is not carried out in a proper manner. There are gaps in the prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution. The total amount of agricultural non-point source pollutants in the area around Wuliangsuhai Lake in Bayannur City accounts for 56% of the total pollutants entering the lake. The rate of use, recycling, and utilization of plastic mulch across the region is low; the recycling rate in Bayannur City is 52.6%, while the utilization rate in Ulanqab City is only 23.3%. In some areas, the problem of fraud by third-party environmental testing agencies is prominent. Ordos High-Tech Materials Company entrusted Zhongtan Nengtou Company to alter and submit certain contents from the test reports attached to the emission report. The groundwater levels at the Huimin Landfill in Tuoketuo County have remained above acceptable levels for a long time; the third-party monitoring company hired to conduct inspections has been falsifying the monitoring data and altering the original experimental records. Beikong Water Company in Tumote Right Banner instructed a third-party operation and maintenance company to feed the pre-treated \"qualified wastewater\" into the monitoring equipment in order to fabricate monitoring data. The inspector demanded that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region resolutely implement the **conception of ecological civilization and effectively strengthen the important ecological security barrier in the north. Implement the major regional strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, strictly control the indiscriminate launch of high-energy and high-emission projects, enhance the efficient and sustainable use of water resources, strengthen joint efforts to control air pollution in key areas, increase efforts to protect and restore grasslands, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, and accelerate the improvement of deficiencies in environmental infrastructure. Great importance is attached to addressing public complaints related to the environment, with a view to effectively resolving the ecological and environmental issues that have drawn strong concern from the people. Regarding issues of dereliction of duty, the relevant departments must be instructed to conduct further in-depth investigations, clarify responsibilities, and impose strict, precise, and effective accountability. For cases requiring compensation for ecological and environmental damage or the filing of public interest lawsuits, procedures shall be followed in accordance with relevant regulations. The inspector emphasized that the Party Committee of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and **should, based on the inspection report and in accordance with the requirements of the \"Measures for Rectifying Issues Identified in Central Government Environmental Protection Inspections,\" promptly develop a rectification plan and submit it to **** and the State Council within 45 working days. The rectification plans and the progress of their implementation should be made public to the public in accordance with relevant regulations. The inspection team also sorted out the issues related to holding those responsible for ecological and environmental damage, and transferred them to the Party Committee of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and ** for handling in accordance with relevant regulations. Source: Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Research Center for High-Quality Development of the Chemical Industry
Finally, action is being taken; the expansion of coking projects in Inner Mongolia has been almost insane.