KAZAKHSTAN: ECOCENTER, ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOG;

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001697 SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EEB, OES/PCI (PHUDAK) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON SENV KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: ECOCENTER, ENVIRONMENTAL WATCHDOG; ARCELORMITTAL - MAJOR POLLUTER AND MAJOR ECONOMIC ROLE ASTANA 00001697 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. SUMMARY: Karaganda oblast, home to large coal mines, also boasts the large ArcelorMittal steel plant in nearby Temirtau, Kazakhstan's iron and steel center. ONE of the world's pre-eminent steel plants, selling steel to more than 60 countries, ArcelorMittal is the only steel plant in the world that does not use natural gas as a fuel source in production. Instead it takes advantage of the abundant, nearby supply of coal. Although ArcelorMittal declares its desire to be a responsible citizen and reduce its pollution, it is torn between meeting environmental regulations and satisfying the global demand for steel. NGO EcoCenter, the Karaganda regional environmental center that works closely with all regional environmental NGOs, local government officials, and the Ministry of Environment, reluctantly admits that ArcelorMittal has gradually reduced its pollution outflows into the Nura River after it adopted EU production standards. However, EcoCenter insists that ArcelorMittal, which has not yet designated a person responsible for its environmental program, could do much better. END SUMMARY. KARAGANDA'S REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER ¶2. EcoCenter, founded in 1992 immediately after Kazakhstan's independence, is the Karaganda oblast (regional) environmental center. It works closely with regional environmental NGOs, local government officials, local businesses, schools, and the Ministry of Environment. The Ministry funds EcoCenter publications in order to disseminate environmental information throughout the oblast. The Center has also given out micro loans to women (from private funding in the United States),ranging from $500-2000, to help them start businesses. More than 70 percent of those businesses are still thriving today. Meanwhile, the government supported a "green" telephone project that established a hotline to report environmental problems or violations. SEEKING FUNDING IS NOT A BED OF ROSES ¶3. Although the government provides some funding, according to Lyudmila Kurtavtseva, Director of Karaganda's EcoCenter, environmental groups often must return up to 10 percent of a grant to officials as an "otkat" (kickback). Currently, NGOs receive funding for only up to nine months, which also limits their ability to make significant change. At the same time, she said, international donors generally are reluctant to finance projects outside their own "agendas" and priorities, and some have shifted away from Kazakhstan, because it is considered a "rich" country. Therefore, EcoCenter wants to become more self-financed. ARCELORMITTAL, LARGE COAL MINES ¶4. Kurtavtseva said Karaganda's large coal mines and the behemoth ArcelorMittal steel plant in nearby Temirtau are the main sources of pollution in Karaganda oblast. The Nura River that runs through Karaganda is filled with their pollution. Despite modest improvements from a recent EcoCenter project to clean up the river, the pollution remains serious. In 2004, EcoCenter held a seminar with ArcelorMittal to show the benefits of production line modernization and pollution outflows reduction. According to Kurtavtseva, although improvements occurred since the seminar, EcoCenter has been disappointed. Instead of the quarterly seminars and presentations that they expected, they seldom meet. The current financial crisis has led to a reduction in salaries and other "unnecessary" expenses. ¶5. Despite ArcelorMittal claims of significant pollution reduction, Kurtavtseva insists that outside observers disagree. KazHydroMat's single station on the Nura River to monitor pollution flows is insufficient, she asserts. She said they need at least four monitoring stations downstream from ArcelorMittal to gain a clear picture of the situation. ECOCENTER ALSO MONITORS NUCLEAR PLANT CONSTRUCTION ¶6. According to Kurtavtseva, EcoCenter also monitors the construction of nuclear power plants. She said there is a laboratory in Semipalatinsk that monitors and conducts research on ASTANA 00001697 002.2 OF 003 the effects of radiation on health. (NOTE: Semipalatinsk is the Soviet Union's former nuclear test site in northern Kazakhstan where 460 tests occurred, more than 100 of which were above ground weapons tests, and which hosts three of Kazakhstan's four nuclear reactors. Widespread radiation pollution exists in this region. END NOTE.) Kurtavtseva claims Kazakhstan's 1998 law on the release of radiation into the air is inadequate, leading environmental NGOs to lobby for a better law. ¶7. Kurtavtseva said the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) funded a project on the military polygon in Semipalatinsk, researching the use of pasture land and plants to determine how much can return to normal use. Although the area is partially closed, she said, people are returning. She accused the Kazakhstani government of "not worrying about the safety," nor taking any measure to protect those now living on the land. According to Kurtavtseva, several international organizations have studied the polygon. Enough evidence now exists in Kazakhstan's National Nuclear Center in Semipalatinsk to draw reliable conclusions, but no entity thus far has accepted responsibility to clean it. In the meantime, people continue to return to the polygon area to live. ARCELORMITTAL, AN IMPRESSIVE STEEL GIANT ¶8. ArcelorMittal, the third largest steel "combinat" during the Soviet era, is today ONE of the world's pre-eminent steel plants. ArcelorMittal operates non-stop and sells steel to 125 buyers in more than 60 countries. According to ArcelorMittal Press Secretary Nikolai Kubrakov, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) loaned ArcelorMittal money to purchase new equipment and modernize its production line to meet world standards. Kubrakov proudly boasted that ArcelorMittal is far better than Chinese or Ukrainian steel plants, and he urged his American "compatriots" to come here to "learn how to make steel again." REO, having seen several modern steel plants in China, agreed with Kubrakov that ArcelorMittal is among the best steel plants in the world. ¶9. According to Kubrakov, ArcelorMittal is the only steel plant in the world that does not use natural gas as a production fuel source. Because the Karaganda region is rich in coal, fuel costs for ArcelorMittal are practically negligible, he said. He acknowledged a "dirtier" steel production process has resulted. Galina Drozdova, the steel plant's Environmental Protection Division Deputy Director, said that ArcelorMittal is a responsible citizen in Temirtau and the Karaganda region and wants to reduce its pollution as much as possible, "because we live here, too, and we don't want to live in a polluted city any more than anyone else does!" ¶10. Drozdova said the plant is attempting to comply with environmental regulations while struggling to meet the ever-increasing demand for steel. According to her, the plant recycles about 80 percent of its waste, either inside the plant as part of its production process, or in the community. Steel slag is used in road construction and river embankments, and blast furnace slag is utilized in cement production. Steel production uses a tremendous amount of fresh water for cooling. She said AcelorMittal recycles much of the water used, but it still discharges some back into the Nura River. ¶11. Even EcoCenter reluctantly admits that ArcelorMittal has gradually reduced its pollution into the Nura River since it decided to adopt EU production standards. EcoCenter, however, still insists that ArcelorMittal, which has not yet designated a director responsible for its environmental program, could do much better. Kurtavtseva cited a Ministry of Environment report that claimed that ArcelorMittal did not demonstrate "meaningful" environmental improvement after its modernization project. EcoCenter went to the EBRD and registered its complaints about the continued pollution, and the EBRD sent observers to monitor the situation, but they left with no tangible results. ¶12. COMMENT: ArcelorMittal is the dominant industrial giant in the ASTANA 00001697 003.2 OF 003 Karaganda oblast, and its company town of Temirtau exists only because of the plant. Approximately half the city's residents work at the plant, and the rest in the support economy (restaurants, stores, supply, repair, and so on). NGOs are working hard to reduce ArcelorMittal's and the local coal mines' impact on the environment, but the steel plant's dominant place in Kazakhstan's economy makes that a daunting task. Partially thanks to EcoCenter's efforts with ArcelorMittal and the government's improved environmental protection, ArcelorMittal sees itself as a partner in this effort to reduce its impact on the environment. Progress will be slow and gradual, but organizations such as EcoCenter -- almost invisible in rural Kazakhstan -- deserve our attention and support. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND