Press release by the Department of Environment and Tourism at www.deat.gov.za:

Green Scorpions sting ferrometal polluters

The Operation Ferro compliance inspection conducted by Environmental Management Inspectors (Green Scorpions) at the Highveld Steel and Vanadium Corporation’s vanadium plant Vanchem on 29-31 August 2007 revealed a series of non-compliances with environmental legislation and permits.

These include:

• Excessive emissions of sulphur dioxide from the plant’s processes - between 40 and 60 tonnes of SO2 are emitted by the plant every day.
• Serious exceedances of permit emissions limits for ammonia (up to 15 times the limit) and particulates (dust) (up to 27 times the limit).
• Significant contamination of groundwater, linked to both the unlined and unpermitted hazardous waste dump on site (hazardous primarily because it contains the heavy metal vanadium) as well
as the lack of separation of storm and process water on site.

Vanchem has been given until 22 October 2007 to respond to the inspection findings. In the interim, inspectors from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs and various affected municipalities are considering appropriate enforcement action, inter alia to ensure that the ongoing environmental impacts are mitigated and existing damage remediated.

The inspection findings in relation to the Vanchem site follow similar serious findings at Arcelor Mittal’s Vereeniging plant and Assmang’s Cato Ridge plant in July 2007.

At Arcelor Mittal’s Vereeniging plant, Inspectors found non-compliances which included:

• A series of activities without the required environmental authorisations.
• Continued dumping of hazardous waste on an unpermitted site, despite repeated instructions from authorities to cease such activity.
• Particulate emissions to air that cause, have caused or may cause significant and serious pollution of the environment.
• Significant and serious pollution of surface and groundwater with phenols, iron, oil, fluoride and other hazardous substances.
• Failure to lodge audit reports.

Since then, both the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment have issued notices to Arcelor Mittal to give the company an opportunity to make representations regarding various proposed improvements to be implemented on the site. Final instructions will follow within the next few weeks. A criminal investigation continues into the dumping of hazardous electric arc furnace dust on an unlined waste site after authorities had instructed Arcelor Mittal to stop.

Management of Arcelor Mittal‘s Vereeniging plant has indicated to authorities that it intends making dramatic changes to its plant to ensure compliance.

At Assmang ferromanganese operation in Cato Ridge, Environmental Management Inspectors found non-compliances that include:

• significant uncontrolled dust emissions, which contains the heavy metal manganese;
• serious non-compliance with a hazardous waste site permit;
• at least one unpermitted hazardous waste site.

Appropriate enforcement action will be taken against Assmang to address these non-compliances.

Environmental Management Inspectors from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs inspected Arcelor Mittal’s Newcastle site last week, and are heading to Samancor’s Metalloys site in Vereeniging on 23 October 2007. Highveld Steel’s steelworks in Witbank will follow in November 2007.

The inspection at Vanchem is part of the national environmental compliance campaign in the iron and steel and ferroalloy industry, known as Operation Ferro. Approximately 40 sites in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Northwest, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape will be inspected during the course of this multi-year project.

Iron and steel and ferroalloy industries have been prioritised in this environmental compliance campaign as their industrial processes may contribute significantly to pollution if not mitigated and managed properly. Other key industries will soon be subject to similar assessments. The Department is already leading a national environmental compliance and enforcement project in relation to the six big oil refineries in the country.

“Although we expected to find some non-compliance at the sites we have inspected thus far, we are taken aback at the levels of non-compliance we are identifying in the iron and steel and ferroalloy industry sector. Many of the operating companies are extremely profitable multinationals who have access to all the information and resources they require to come into compliance with environmental legislation. However, it appears that they have chosen to disregard their obligations to the law and the environment and people affected by their operations,”said Mava Scott, the department’s spokesperson.

Scott also noted that, although many of these companies have “environmental improvement plans”, these plans often do not address issues of non-compliance. Plans also have long timeframes that tend to be postponed due to lack of approval of the required capital expenditure.

Arcelor Mittal’s Vereeniging site falls within the Vaal Triangle Air-shed Priority Area identified as an air pollution hotspot by the Minister on 21 April 2006. The Highveld area is currently under consideration for declaration as a priority air pollution area in terms of the new Air Quality Act. This was recently gazetted for public comment.

“The Department is also concerned about the fact that so many of these companies found to be in non-compliance continue to be certified in terms of the International Standards Organisation’s ISO 14001 environmental standard. This Department has already approached the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) to discuss feedback to and cooperation with the accreditation and certification bodies,” added Scott.

Members of the public and stakeholders are urged to report environmental transgressions to the 24 hour Environmental Crimes and Incident Hotline on 0800 205 005.

For media queries contact Mava Scott on 082 411 9821
To schedule interviews contact Roopa Singh on 082 225 3076