By New Dawn

Copyright thenewdawnliberia

By Patrick N. Mensah, Maryland County

Maryland County, Liberia; September 19, 2025 – Newly assigned staff members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have begun outreach meetings in Maryland County, urging citizens to comply fully with environmental regulations and policies.

Addressing a press conference in the county, James P. Pude, head of the team in Maryland, lauded the senior management team of the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia under the leadership of Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, as Executive Director.

According to him, the EPA office in Maryland County has been in existence for over a decade but hasn’t been active. Their presence is intended to reawaken the population’s consciousness about the environment and its regulations, in keeping with the Environmental Protection and Management Laws of Liberia.

He disclosed that Part II, Section V of the EPA laws call for protection of the Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment. Therefore, everyone in Liberia is entitled to this right. Thus, anyone faced with any environmental issue(s) that has the tendency to compromise the integrity of this right should urgently inform the office for prompt redress.

Mr. Pude said that Part III, Section 6, calls for an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of all projects and activities specified in Annex I of the Environmental Protection and Management Laws of Liberia that may have an impact on the environment, prior to their commencement.

He named projects/activities like Agricultural activities, Livestock and Range Management, Forestry activities, Fisheries activities, Wildlife, Tourism and Recreational Development, Energy Industry, Petroleum Industry, Food and beverage industries, Textile industry, Building and Civil Engineering Industries (Construction) Chemical Industries, Extractive industries (Mining), Non-metalic industries (cement, plastic, rubber processing, ect.)

Others include: Metal and Engineering Industries (garages), Waste Management, Land reclamation, and Water supply projects that must fully comply with environmental regulations prior to the commencement of these projects or activities.

He recalled on February 24, 2025, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai passed Executive Order #143, prohibiting all further activities or projects at said areas to protect Liberia’s Beachfronts, Waterways, and Wetlands; hence, compliance is a must.

“No person shall engage with any project or activities that may cause pollution within the environment”, he cautioned.

The Environmental Protection Agency County Boss mentioned that all chemicals imported into the country should be registered, and Chemical Registration License should be obtained.

He named companies like the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation (MOPP), Cavalla Rubber Corporation (CRC), and GSI in the county that use chemicals in their operations, and they are required to obtain an Effluent Discharge License and a Chemical Registration License, as necessary.

Mr. Pude stressed that they will exercise their duties at all reasonable times and without warrant because Environmental Inspectors have the legal right to perform said duties.

He said that any act of denied entry into a facility, land, premises, vessel, or vehicle, which is an affront to the Environmental Laws, will definitely lead to punitive actions by the EPA, as stated in Section 22 of the Agency’s Act.

He continued that the EPA does not have a statutory mandate to decide ownership of the land, but instead has a mandate to regulate activities carried out on the land.

“Therefore, all construction projects (Residential and Commercial), irrespective of the topography, must be brought to environmental compliance. We call on the Ministry of Public Works and City Corporations to coordinate with us to ensure sustainable infrastructures within Maryland County”.

He stated that the EPA does not support community burials, noting that all burials must be conducted at a certified cemetery. All embalming must be done only at funeral homes, rather than in hospitals or other health facilities. Failure to comply with Environmental Laws will result in punitive actions, including the imposition of fines and shutdown orders by the EPA. Editing by Jonathan Browne