NewsWhore
10-23-2006, 06:10 PM
The Ministry of the Environment has closed the Metaloxa plant "for good", according to a report in Diario Libre. The ministry said that the definitive closure of the processing plant was due to the fact that the facility did not follow legal regulations for working with lead processing. This is the factory that polluted the area known as "God's Paradise" just outside Santo Domingo, near the Haina Industrial Park. Metaloxa had been granted permits to operate under strict pollution controls, but these were not followed. The company recycles lead from batteries and has been operating since 1979. According to the ministry, the company polluted the land and ground waters, but no action was taken until 1996 when environmental controls were introduced. Because of their repeated failure to fulfill the requirements of the Environmental Protection Institute (INPRA), the ministry's predecessor, the institute ordered Metaloxa to be closed down in 1999. Studies carried out by INPRA, the Blacksmith Institute and the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) outlined a series of measures that would guarantee the environmental health of the area, but these were not implemented. According to Juan Ditren Flores, the ministry's Quality Control director, the weighty file on Metaloxa shows that the company has polluted the Lower Haina valley area, and "does not deserve to continue operating."
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