[3] They use a water-intensive gasification process to convert coal to chemicals that are critical for a wide range of products.
According to a Greenpeace report,[4] the factory owned by Tianji Industry Group in Changzhi dumps more than six million tons of wastewater per year.
In 2010 and 2011, Tianji was judged by Shanxi’s environmental protection bureau to be polluting above normal levels in four quarters and was fined each time.
The reason for delay is not clear, but it may be due to the large underestimations of the amount of leaked anilines in the first few days after spills.
According to the regulation passed by the State Council in 2007, an institution responsible for an accident should report within an hour to the production safety department of a county-level government or higher.
[10] The conflict over the Changzhi spill has drawn attention to the growing problems with water use and pollution in China.
Deficiencies in emergency mechanisms to handle environmental incidents at some local governments worsen the pollution problems.