The Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced typical cases of automatic monitoring, fraud and investigation of key pollutant discharge units

　　According to the WeChat WeChat official account news of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, since the beginning of this year, local ecological and environmental departments, together with the public security and procuratorial organs, have launched a special campaign to severely crack down on illegal crimes of hazardous waste and fraud of automatic monitoring data of key pollutant discharge units, and cracked down on tampering and forgery of automatic monitoring data. By October 2021, 270 cases of falsification of automatic monitoring data were investigated and dealt with nationwide, with a total fine of more than 49 million yuan, and the special action achieved remarkable results.

　　In order to maintain the high-pressure situation of severely punishing the illegal and criminal acts of automatic monitoring data fraud, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment organized 12 key pollutant discharge units to investigate and deal with typical cases of automatic monitoring fraud. In the process of investigating these cases, eco-environmental departments at all levels actively use off-site supervision means such as big data analysis and video surveillance to strengthen the effective connection between off-site supervision and on-site inspection, and give full play to the function of judicial expertise in case handling, which is of exemplary significance for improving the efficiency of eco-environmental law enforcement and accurately cracking down on environmental crimes.

　　The Ministry of Ecology and Environment is responsible for Renhua Branch of Shaoguan Ecological Environment Bureau of Guangdong Province, Xiangyang Ecological Environment Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment of Hubei Province, Xiangcheng Ecological Environment Bureau of Zhangzhou City of Fujian Province, Wuhai Ecological Environment Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Yantai Environmental Law Enforcement Detachment of Shandong Province, Hengshui Ecological Environment Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment of Hebei Province, Huzhou Ecological Environment Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team of Zhejiang Province, Pingyang Branch of Wenzhou Ecological Environment Bureau of Zhejiang Province, Anhui Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau, Sichuan Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Corps, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Prefecture Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment, and Gansu Lanzhou Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team commended their outstanding performance in handling cases. Typical cases announced this time include:

　　1. Guangdong Shaoguan Haolan Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. falsified and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On April 12th, 2021, the law enforcement officers of Shaoguan Ecological Environment Bureau made a surprise inspection of Shaoguan Haolan Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., and found that the company changed the sampling method of automatic monitoring equipment such as chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus from "water sample tube sampling" to "standard sample tube sampling" without authorization, and put the diluted and prepared water samples of four kinds of wastewater pollutants in plastic bottles respectively, so that the automatic monitoring equipment collected water samples in plastic bottles through standard sample tubes for analysis and monitoring, which was suspected of tampering. Renhua County Environmental Monitoring Station sampled and monitored the company’s discharged wastewater on the same day, and the results showed that the ammonia nitrogen concentration was 63.3mg/L, which was 6.9 times higher than the discharge limit.

　　After investigation, it was confirmed that Dai Mou, the person in charge of sewage treatment technology of the company, implemented the behavior of replacing the actual discharged wastewater with the diluted water sample and tampering with the automatic monitoring data. On September 22, 2021, Renhua County People’s Court sentenced Dai to six months’ imprisonment and fined RMB 7,000.

　　Two, Hubei Xiangyang Bola Jingwei Fiber Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On June 1, 2021, Hubei Environmental Law Enforcement Supervision Bureau conducted surprise inspection on the suspected fraudulent points of automatic monitoring data according to the previous screening and tracking monitoring of abnormal data of automatic monitoring of pollution sources in the province. After on-site inspection, Xiangyang Bola Jingwei Fiber Co., Ltd. was suspected of using the embedded software of automatic monitoring equipment to forge and generate false monitoring data and upload it to the monitoring platform of the ecological environment department. On the same day, Xiangyang Ecological Environment Bureau seized the company’s automatic monitoring equipment for chemical oxygen demand and sent it to judicial authentication institutions for functional identification and data analysis. According to the judicial appraisal opinion issued by Hubei Software Evaluation Center, the embedded software in the inspection equipment has the function of artificial simulation to generate false automatic monitoring data, and there are 5523 pieces of automatic monitoring data stored in the sample, accounting for 90.4% of the total data, and there is forgery of automatic monitoring data. The monitoring results of the third-party monitoring unit on the wastewater from the main discharge port of the company’s sewage treatment station show that the concentration of chemical oxygen demand exceeds the discharge limit by 0.56 times.

　　After investigation, it was confirmed that the person in charge of the company’s sewage treatment station, Kuang Mou, and the process supervisor, Huang Mou, illegally used the senior administrator account to log in to the embedded software system hidden in the automatic monitoring equipment for chemical oxygen demand. By setting relevant parameters, the equipment randomly generated the standard data and uploaded it to the monitoring platform, which led to the distortion of the automatic monitoring data for chemical oxygen demand in the company. Xiangyang City Bureau of Ecology and Environment ordered the company to correct its illegal behavior, fined it 500,000 yuan for its violation of the Regulations on the Administration of Pollutant Discharge Permit, and transferred the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, the procuratorate has arrested one person and the case is under further investigation.

　　Three, Fujian Zhangzhou Fujian Kangzhiwei Food Industry Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On August 30, 2021, according to the clues reflected by the environmental protection grid staff in xiangcheng district, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Environmental Monitoring Corps organized personnel to consult the automatic monitoring data of sewage units in the grid area, and found that the data of chemical oxygen demand in the wastewater discharged by Fujian Kangzhiwei Food Industry Co., Ltd. remained stable at around 120 mg/L. On August 31st, the Provincial Environmental Monitoring Corps organized the Xiangcheng Ecological Environment Bureau of Zhangzhou City to carry out measurement and management linkage with the company, and found that the sampling line of the company’s chemical oxygen demand automatic monitoring equipment was inserted into a mineral water bottle filled with unknown liquid, and the data on the equipment showed 105.8 mg/L. After testing, the chemical oxygen demand concentration of unknown liquid in mineral water bottle is 132mg/L, and the actual chemical oxygen demand concentration of discharged wastewater is 1270mg/L, which is 1.54 times higher than the discharge limit.

　　Zhangzhou Xiangcheng Ecological Environment Bureau ordered the company to correct the illegal behavior within a time limit, fined it 163,643 yuan for exceeding the standard discharge of pollutants, and transferred the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, the case has entered the stage of review and prosecution. At the same time, the local authorities initiated the consultation on compensation for ecological environment damage and copied it to the procuratorate. Under the supervision and guidance of the ecological environment department, the company adopted the repair method recognized by experts to proliferate and release the polluted river basin, and released more than 40,000 filter-feeding fish such as silver carp and bighead carp.

　　Four, Wuhai city, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Rongxin Energy Industry Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On September 23, 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and the Wuhai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment jointly carried out special supervision and assistance for automatic monitoring, and found that the coking plant of Wuhai Rongxin Energy Industry Co., Ltd. was in production. The real-time data of automatic monitoring of coke oven discharge showed that sulfur dioxide was 0.20mg/m3, nitric oxide was 0.01mg/m3, and oxygen content was 14.30%, while the float flowmeter showed that the data was zero and no smoke passed through. On-site inspection by law enforcement officers found that the sampling pipeline of automatic flue gas monitoring equipment was not connected with the sampling probe, which made the automatic monitoring equipment unable to collect the discharged flue gas normally.

　　After investigation, Wang, the person in charge of environmental protection of the company, disconnected the sampling pipeline of automatic monitoring equipment and tampered with the monitoring data in order to cover up the fact that sulfur dioxide in coke oven flue gas exceeded the standard. Hainan Branch of Wuhai Ecological Environment Bureau ordered the company to immediately correct the illegal act, fined 1 million yuan and transferred the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, the public security organs have accepted the case and carried out investigations.

　　5. The case of tampering and forging automatic monitoring data by Shandong Yantai Suokun Glass Container Co., Ltd.

　　Law enforcement officers of Yantai Ecological Environment Bureau found that the automatic monitoring data of Yantai Suokun Glass Container Co., Ltd. was abnormal when they read and analyzed the data of the automatic monitoring system of key pollution sources. On July 12, 2021, Yantai Environmental Law Enforcement Detachment, together with Yantai Public Security Bureau Food and Drug Environmental Investigation Detachment, made a surprise inspection of the company, and found a hidden PU pipeline near the sampling head of waste gas automatic monitoring equipment. Through tracing the source of the pipeline, it was found that there was a nitrogen generator and a gas transmission device. On the same day, the third-party monitoring unit sampled and monitored the exhaust gas discharged from the desulfurization tower of the company’s 1-2 melting furnace. The results showed that sulfur dioxide and particulate matter exceeded the emission limit by 262.34 times and 4.32 times respectively.

　　After investigation, it was confirmed that Li, the general manager of the company, used nitrogen generator and other devices to blow nitrogen to the sampling head of automatic monitoring equipment to dilute the emission concentration of pollutants, which led to the distortion of monitoring data, and disconnected the gas supply pipeline during the on-site inspection by the ecological and environmental department in an attempt to cover up the illegal facts. Yantai City Bureau of Ecology and Environment ordered the company to immediately correct the illegal behavior, fined 775,000 yuan for its excessive discharge of pollutants, and transferred the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, the public security organs have accepted the case and carried out investigations.

　　Six, Hebei Hengshui Fucheng County Development Zone Construction Investment Co., Ltd. Sewage Treatment Branch tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　During the online inspection of the automatic monitoring data of enterprises, Hengshui Eco-environment Comprehensive Law Enforcement Detachment found that the historical data of automatic monitoring of wastewater discharged from the sewage treatment branch of Fucheng Development Zone Construction Investment Co., Ltd. was obviously abnormal, and the concentrations of pollutants such as ammonia nitrogen and total nitrogen often suddenly dropped sharply before rising to the critical point of exceeding the standard. Therefore, on May 26, 2021, it conducted a surprise inspection with the Huanan Detachment of Hengshui Public Security Bureau. In order to find out the reasons for the sudden change of automatic monitoring data, the public security organs conducted an investigation and inquiry on the relevant person in charge and some employees of the company. Relevant evidence shows that employees such as Chang and others will regularly report data fraud to the factory director Hu.

　　After investigation, the company arranged a special person to be responsible for the operation of automatic monitoring facilities. When the monitoring data tends to exceed the standard, the staff on duty will pull out the sampling tube of automatic monitoring equipment and insert it into the pre-prepared water sample that meets the standard, so as to achieve the goal of automatic monitoring data reaching the standard. Fucheng County Branch of Hengshui City Ecological Environment Bureau transferred the case to the public security organ according to law, and nine responsible persons have been criminally detained. At present, the case has been transferred to the procuratorate for review.

　　7. Zhejiang Huzhou Changxing Xintiandi Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. falsified and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On May 12, 2021, according to the clues provided by the public security organs’ model warning, Huzhou Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team of Ecological Environment Protection, Huzhou Ecological Environment Director Xing Branch and the public security organs jointly conducted a night surprise inspection on Changxing Xintiandi Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., and found that the company added a diluent of "chemical oxygen demand remover" into the discharged wastewater through plastic pipes. After testing, the main component of the remover is sodium chlorate, which will interfere with the determination process of chemical oxygen demand and make the determination result low.

　　After investigation, in order to reduce the automatic monitoring value of chemical oxygen demand, Xia Mou, the director of the company, added the "chemical oxygen demand remover" to the discharged wastewater many times by himself or by instructing employees, which led to the distortion of the automatic monitoring data of chemical oxygen demand of the company. Xing Branch, director of Huzhou Ecological Environment Bureau, transferred the case to the public security organs according to law. At present, criminal compulsory measures have been taken against four suspects, and the case is under further investigation.

　　Eight, Zhejiang Wenzhou Bicheng Printing and Dyeing Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　In May, 2021, law enforcement officers of Pingyang Branch of Wenzhou Eco-environment Bureau found that the automatic monitoring data (minute value) of ammonia nitrogen in wastewater discharged by Wenzhou Bicheng Printing and Dyeing Co., Ltd. showed abnormal zero value many times, but the chemical oxygen demand and instantaneous flow showed normal. Through video surveillance, it is found that every time the ammonia nitrogen data is abnormal, people enter the automatic monitoring station room and restart the switching power supply of the ammonia nitrogen automatic monitoring equipment, resulting in zero data. On June 2, a joint task force composed of Wenzhou City and Pingyang County’s two levels of ecological environment and public security law enforcement backbone conducted a surprise inspection of the company.

　　After investigation, it was confirmed that Qiu Mou and Wu Mou, sewage treatment operators of the company, were punished by the company in order to avoid the effluent exceeding the standard. When the ammonia nitrogen data of the automatic monitoring equipment exceeded the standard, they entered the station building illegally for many times, and restarted the automatic monitoring equipment through the switching power supply, so that the data became zero, so as to achieve the purpose of false monitoring data reaching the standard. The Wenzhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment ordered the company to immediately correct the illegal act and transfer the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, the case has been transferred to the procuratorate for review and prosecution, and two suspects have been released on bail pending trial.

　　Nine, Anhui Bozhou Zhenxi New Building Materials Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On September 14th, 2021, the law enforcement officers of Anhui Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau found through the "Digital Jianghuai-Smart Environmental Protection" big data platform and video surveillance video that the automatic monitoring data of sulfur dioxide of Zhenxi New Building Materials Co., Ltd. in Kanzhen Town, Lixin County, Bozhou City suddenly dropped in a short time after exceeding the standard for many times, and at the same time, some suspected enterprise personnel entered the automatic monitoring station to operate the automatic monitoring equipment. From September 15th to 20th, the Provincial Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Bureau of Ecological Environmental Protection and the Lixin County Brigade of Bozhou Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment of Ecological Environmental Protection conducted an on-site inspection of the company.

　　According to the investigation, from August 26th to September 14th, 2021, Xu, an employee of the company, entered the automatic monitoring station several times after finding that sulfur dioxide exceeded the standard, and illegally replaced the original filter element with the filter element washed with alkali liquor, resulting in a significant reduction in the automatic monitoring value of sulfur dioxide, which was "disguised" in the way of "falsely reaching the standard". The ecological environment branch of Lixin County, Bozhou City transferred the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, Xu has been under criminal detention and the case is under further investigation.

　　X. The case of tampering and forging automatic monitoring data by Sichuan Panzhihua Titanium Chemical Co., Ltd.

　　On June 22, 2021, Sichuan Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Corps found that the automatic monitoring data of Panzhihua Titanium Chemical Co., Ltd. was abnormal by analyzing the monitoring data, and immediately cooperated with Panzhihua Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Detachment to carry out a surprise inspection of the company. On-site inspection found that the sulfur dioxide concentration displayed by the flue gas analyzer of the automatic tail gas monitoring equipment of the rotary kiln of the company was 3292.9mg/m3, which was 2.87 times higher than the limit specified in the Emission Standard of Air Pollutants for Industrial Kilns (GB 9078-1996). At the same time, the sulfur dioxide concentration displayed by the industrial computer of the equipment was only 197.57mg/m3. The inspectors used sulfur dioxide standard gas to check the automatic monitoring equipment, and found that the readings of industrial computer and data acquisition instrument were 94% smaller than those of analyzer.

　　After investigation, it was confirmed that three people, including Qian Mou, the person in charge of safety and environmental protection of the company, illegally modified the slope of the regression equation of the industrial computer software of the automatic monitoring equipment, resulting in a serious discrepancy between the pollutant concentration transmitted to the automatic monitoring system platform of the ecological and environmental department and the actual emission concentration. Panzhihua City Ecological Environment Bureau transferred the case to the public security organ according to law. Panzhihua City Procuratorate has approved the arrest of three suspects according to law, and the case is under further investigation.

　　Eleven, Xinjiang Yili Horgos Haorui Water Investment Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　On May 30, 2021, Horgos Branch of the Ecological Environment Bureau of Yili Prefecture found that the data of total phosphorus, total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen in the analyzer of Horgos Haorui Water Investment Co., Ltd. exceeded the standard during May 27-28, which was inconsistent with the data of several sampling instruments in the same period, and handed over the case clue to the Ecological Environment Bureau of Yili Prefecture. Law enforcement officers of the comprehensive administrative law enforcement detachment of ecological environmental protection in Yili Prefecture conducted a field investigation on the company.

　　After investigation, instructed by Zhao, the company’s operation supervisor, employees Li and others found that the automatic monitoring data of total phosphorus, total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen exceeded the standard, and the monitoring data were seriously distorted by unplugging the data transmission line between the analyzer and the data acquisition instrument, diluting the analyzer to sample wastewater, and inserting the sampling tube of the analyzer into the water sample prepared in advance. The ecological and environmental bureau of Yili ordered the company to immediately correct the illegal behavior and transfer the case to the public security organ according to law. At present, the public security organs have accepted the case and carried out investigations.

　　Twelve, Gansu Lanzhou Xingrong Environmental Development Co., Ltd. tampered with and forged automatic monitoring data.

　　In the early morning of March 18th, 2021, Gansu Ecological Environment Investigation Center found that someone from Lanzhou Xingrong Environmental Development Co., Ltd. entered the automatic monitoring station building, which was suspected of illegal operation, and then handed over the clue to Lanzhou Ecological Environment Department. Law enforcement officers of Lanzhou Ecological Environmental Protection Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team immediately inspected the company and found that Yan, an employee of the company, was pulling out the sampling head of the automatic monitoring equipment for chemical oxygen demand and inserting it into a plastic bucket filled with clear water, which interfered with the normal sampling of the analyzer.

　　After collecting video data and field investigation, it is confirmed that since March 11th, several employees of the company have carried out the above operations on the inlet sampling pipeline of the automatic monitoring equipment for chemical oxygen demand, resulting in the distortion of the automatic monitoring data for chemical oxygen demand. Lanzhou City Ecological Environment Bureau ordered the company to stop the illegal act immediately, fined 610,000 yuan, and transferred the case to the public security organ according to law.