Norilsk Nickel sues environmental watchdog
A court in Krasnoyarsk is about to start the handling of Norilsk Nickel‘s court suit against the Russian Agency of Nature Protection (Rosprirodnadzor). The enviromental watchdog earlier this year fined the industrial major for enviromental violations whereupon it was itself sued by the company.
Norilsk Nickel argues that the Nature Protection Agency is entitled to conduct environmental controls only once every second year, and that such controls have been conducted twice over the last two years, newspaper Kommersant reports with reference to RIA Novosti.
The company now demands that the fine from the agency is withdrawn.
The Agency of Nature Protection earlier this year found excessive pollution around one of the mining and metallurgy company’s industrial sites in western Siberia. Discharges were also found in local rivers.Following the findings, the agency gave Norilsk Nickel a 4,35 billion RUB (120 million EUR) fine
Norilsk Nickel is the world’s biggest producer of nickel and a major producer of several other metals, among them cupper.
Read also:
Norilsk Nickel sued over pollution of rivers 28 February 2008
Norilsk Nickel forced to pay more for pollution 28 December 2008
