The procuratorate sued the environmental protection bureau for failing to effectively resolve the issues raised by the public

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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 21 (Reporter Chen Fei) – It was learned from the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on the 21st that on December 16, the People’s Procuratorate of Qingyun County in Shandong Province filed an administrative public interest lawsuit with the Qingyun County Court, as the county’s environmental protection department failed to fulfill its duties in accordance with the law. This is the first administrative public interest litigation case in the country, following the authorization granted by the Ren leadership to procuratorial authorities to initiate pilot programs for public interest lawsuits. 　　 It is understood that recently, the People’s Procuratorate of Qingyun County, while examining a case involving the director of a company’s sewage treatment plant on charges of environmental pollution, discovered that the company had been operating illegally for a long time without completing the acceptance inspections for its environmental protection facilities, thereby discharging large amounts of sewage and causing environmental damage. The local residents called the 3612345 public services hotline on multiple occasions to file complaints. The Party committee of Qingyun County attached great importance to these matters and instructed the environmental protection department to carry out its regulatory duties strictly. 　　 The procuratorial authorities’ investigation revealed that although the county’s environmental protection department had imposed administrative penalties on the company on multiple occasions, it had committed illegal acts during its supervision duties; accordingly, procuratorial recommendations were sent to the environmental protection department in accordance with relevant regulations. However, the environmental protection authorities have still failed to fulfill their regulatory duties properly in accordance with the law, resulting in the problems reported by the public remaining unresolved, and ** as well as public interests continuing to be undermined. 　　 In this regard, the People’s Procuratorate of Qingyun County, as one of the pilot areas for public interest litigation designated by Shandong Province, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the \"Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Authorizing the Supreme People’s Procuratorate to Carry Out Pilot Work on Public Interest Litigation in Certain Areas\" as well as the \"Pilot Plan for Prosecutors to Initiate Public Interest Litigation\", filed an administrative public interest lawsuit with the People’s Court of Qingyun County against the county’s environmental protection department for failing to fulfill its duties in accordance with the law, after strictly following the pre-litigation procedures.