Road use permit for the western cluster suspended again | News

-Senate pushes for public work

The Ministry of Public Works has again suspended the road use permit (RUP-220620-004) of the company Western Cluster Limited (WCL) following enormous pressure from Senators on Capitol Hill over the damage the company is causing to national infrastructure.

“Due to sustained pressure from the Liberian Senate, the Ministry of Public Works has suspended the road use permit issued to Western Cluster Limited (WCL) for the commercial transportation of iron ore along the road corridor from the Monrovia Freeport to the Bomi Hills Road corridor,” Deputy Senator Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence posted on her Facebook page on Friday.

Recently, numerous senators have raised the alarm about the activities of Western Cluster Liberia Limited, describing it as a “fiasco” that endangers lives, destroys public infrastructure and depletes national resources for the benefit of foreign companies.

Pro-Tempore noted that a Senate investigation had clearly shown that WCL could not fulfill its agreement with the government.

The key findings show that WCL has consistently delayed the construction of a railway line and a port in Grand Cape Mount County, opting instead to use public roads to transport the iron ore.

“This abuse has caused significant damage to the infrastructure,” she said.

Western Cluster was first hit with the suspension of permits in April after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai visited the concession area. An angry Boakai accused the company of causing more damage to the land than the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) signed with the government had envisaged. The President complained that the company’s activities were not only damaging national infrastructure but also endangering the lives of local residents.

A few weeks after the president’s outburst, the Ministry of Public Works revoked the company’s license and required management to comply with regulations. However, just over two weeks ago, the ministry lifted the suspension and asked Western Cluster to continue its work.

This decision was not well received by members of the US Congress, who put pressure on the ministry to shut down the company.

The Senate said the Ministry of Public Works had restored WCL’s road use permit without conducting a critical environmental impact assessment, ignoring the safety and environmental risks involved in transporting iron ore by truck through densely populated areas.

Therefore, in a decisive statement dated July 12, 2024, the Ministry of Public Works announced the immediate suspension of WCL’s permit following a formal notification by the Liberian Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA stressed that WCL’s environmental permit for the extraction and processing of Class A iron ore (4 MTPA DSO/concentrate) expired on June 5, 2024, in violation of Liberia’s Environmental Protection and Management Act.

Failure to renew the environmental permit within 30 days is a direct violation of Section VI(G) of the Road Use Permit, which requires compliance with all environmental regulations and laws approved by the EPA.

“The Ministry of Public Works has highlighted the serious health and safety risks to road users and the environment resulting from WCL’s non-compliance with the regulations. Therefore, the Ministry has invoked Section VI (B) of the permit to immediately cease the operations of WCL to protect public health and environmental safety,” the Grand Bassa District Senator said in her post.

She noted that the suspension will remain in full force until Western Cluster Limited provides documented evidence of compliance with Liberian environmental laws. If WCL does not correct these violations within 60 days, the road use permit will be permanently revoked.