Monrovia, Liberia – Three important companies, ArcelorMittal Liberia, Elsin Transport & Logistics, and Monrovia Breweries Incorporated, have been fined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia for breaking the country’s environmental protection regulations through pollution, improper waste management, and unlawful waste disposal.
The sanctions, according to EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, at a press event on Friday, October 17, show the agency’s revived will to uphold Liberia’s environmental laws without fear or favor. Nearby rivers in Nimba County became contaminated by ArcelorMittal Liberia’s mining operations at Yuelliton after a section of an overburden stack collapsed during periods of heavy rains. Laboratory results showed that levels of iron, lead, selenium, and chromium exceeded national water-quality requirements.
The company was criticized for failing to notify the affected neighbors and the EPA of the incident within the 72-hour period. The Environmental Protection Agency has fined ArcelorMittal US$125,000 and levied an additional US$60,000 environmental research fee to pay for a comprehensive assessment of the affected waterways.
Elsin Transport & Logistics is being charged by the EPA for handling 17 containers of palm kernel shells that were imported from Nigeria. Even though tests showed the products weren’t hazardous, Elsin violated the Environmental Protection and Management Law by inappropriately disposing of a portion of the consignment at the Wein Town Landfill without EPA oversight because they didn’t have a certified disposal license.
The EPA issued a US$8,000 fine, requiring payment within 10 business days and warning that more severe sanctions might be levied if violation persists. It was discovered that Monrovia Breweries Incorporated (MBI) had improperly disposed of brewers’ waste grain (BSG), contaminating neighboring waterways and wetlands. The company’s garbage facility, according to inspectors, was unfenced, badly maintained, and devoid of leachate and stormwater control equipment.
The EPA said that no significant progress had been made in spite of MBI’s prior commitment to address these problems. In addition to an Environmental Restoration Order that mandates the repair and restoration of impacted lands or risk having its operating permit suspended the company is also facing a US$20,000 fine and a US$5,000 monitoring charge.
Noting that “today’s actions send a clear message environmental violations will not be tolerated,” Dr. Yarkpawolo commended the Boakai government for supporting the agency’s enforcement campaign. He also outlined Liberia’s more general environmental goals, such as the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) goal of reducing emissions by 64% by 2035, its imminent participation in COP30 in Brazil, and the purchase of a €100,000 Elemental Analyzer for environmental research.
“We are going beyond daily operations,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said. There is no compromise on environmental justice. Polluters are going to pay. The EPA has demonstrated with these sanctions that even the most influential companies in Liberia are subject to the law, which may mark a turning point in the nation’s environmental governance.
