INEA, a Rio de Janeiro state environmental authority, has demanded that Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN) halt operations at its Presidente Vargas mill, located in the city of Volta Redonda, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, within the next 10 days.
CSN received the notification last Friday.
An INEA document said CSN did not meet the demands of a conduct adjustment commitment term (TAC) signed in April last year. The document set a series of obligations CSN should address, including reducing pollutant emissions.
CSN argued that out of the 15 items set by the TAC, it has met 12, while two others are just “day-to-day” procedures. CSN did not comment about the remaining item. Responding to CSN, INEA said the company has not complied with seven items, instead of just three.
“Unlike CSN, which bases its [response] on an independent audit, to affirm that it … has complied with 12 items [of the TAC,] INEA’s position is supported by its technicians, who are experienced professionals in the analysis of environmental impacts,” INEA said this week.