CHINA / National |
30 firms banned from bank loans for pollution violations(AP)Updated: 2007-07-30 14:10 BEIJING -- China's environmental regulator said Monday it has put 30 companies on the first blacklist of pollution violators that are to be barred from receiving bank loans under a policy aimed at enforcing often-ignored regulations. The government announced this month that the State Environmental Protection Agency, the central bank and bank regulators would cooperate to bar access to credit to companies that violated pollution standards. The list posted Monday on SEPA's Web agency includes food processors, producers of paper and alcoholic beverages and steel makers. The agency did not say whether the companies would be allowed to appeal. Beijing has been tightening enforcement of environmental and energy efficiency regulations. China's economic boom has left major rivers and lakes badly polluted and its cities are among the world's smoggiest. |
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