Moscow refinery fined 250,000 rubles for lacking permission to emit hazardous air pollutants
MOSCOW. Dec 16 (Interfax) - The Simonovsky District Court of Moscow has found a Moscow Refinery guilty of lacking permission to emit hazardous substances into the atmosphere in an administrative lawsuit filed by the Russian environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor.
The court ordered the refinery to pay a 250,000 ruble fine.
The ruling was read out on Tuesday following the hearing of the case over breach by the refinery of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses' article on "the emission of hazardous substances into the atmospheric air or harmful physical effect on it without special permission."
According to the case files, the complaints filed against the refinery had nothing to do with the November emission of hydrogen sulfide in the capital. The plant was sued for lacking permission to emit substances into the air.
It was reported that due to changes to the Russian legislation regarding the maximum permissible levels, the Moscow refinery has operated without licensing documentation for atmospheric emissions since 2011.
The refinery has been trying to prove to courts that it has been unable to obtain permission because of unclear legislation. In particular, the refinery managed to get the deadlines for obtaining permission to emissions extended until November 2015. However, later this decision was cancelled, but the refinery filed a cassation complaint against the cancellation of the decision.