By P. Vangerline Kpotoe
MONROVIA, June 3 (LINA) – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has ordered Huiren Mining Inc. to cease operations following the discovery of multiple environmental violations.
The enforcement action came during a recent inspection in Bong County on May 22, 2026. The company received several non-compliance notices.
EPA inspectors headed by Dr. Emmanuel Urey Yarkpawolo determined that Huiren Mining Inc. was operating in breach of Liberia’s Environmental Protection and Management Law (EPML) as well as the Chemical Importation, Transportation, Handling, and Storage Guidelines.
The main violations identified included the company functioning with an expired Environmental Permit, inadequate management and storage of outdated and hazardous chemicals, and failure to obtain the legally required Chemical Registration and Importation License.
According to the EPA, Huiren Mining Inc. continued its operations without a valid Environmental Permit and did not renew it as mandated by law. The Agency cautioned that working under an expired permit puts public health and the environment at risk and is an offense punishable under the EPML.
The inspection team also revealed that obsolete, expired, and hazardous chemicals were being stored and handled improperly on the company’s premises. The EPA stated that storing, handling, using, or disposing of such chemicals without proper authorization poses serious dangers to public health, worker safety, groundwater, surface water, and surrounding communities.
Investigators further established that the company had imported, stored, handled, transported, and used chemicals without securing the mandatory Chemical Registration and Importation License required under Liberian environmental regulations. The EPA described this as an illegal environmental practice that endangers ecological safety and violates hazardous chemical management standards.
As a result, the EPA issued multiple non-compliance notices instructing the company to immediately stop all unauthorized chemical-related activities, secure hazardous materials in environmentally safe storage, and engage with the Agency to address the identified issues.
The EPA also warned that failure to comply would lead to further enforcement actions, which could include seizure of hazardous materials, suspension of operations, administrative sanctions, confiscation of chemicals, and legal action.
Following these findings and the company’s continued failure to comply, the EPA ordered the immediate shutdown of Huiren Mining Inc. until it fully meets Liberia’s environmental laws and regulations.
Meanwhile, the EPA has ordered the immediate closure of Jorpolu Clan Mining Company in Bong County after investigators found major environmental violations during the ongoing Nationwide Environmental Compliance Monitoring Exercise.
According to the EPA, the company was found to be in violation of the Environmental Protection and Management Law (EPML) of Liberia and related environmental regulations, leading to significant environmental damage and pollution.
The EPA reported that its investigations and field inspections confirmed the company’s activities were causing extensive environmental harm, creating serious risks to public health, natural resources, biodiversity, and nearby communities.