The Ministry of Public Works has once again suspended the Road User Permit granted to Western Cluster Limited (WCL) by government.
The permit was granted for the commercial hauling of iron ore along the Freeport of Monrovia through Bomi Hills Road corridor.
However, it has since met hurdles from members of the Liberian Senate after some senators raised alarms about the operations of the company, describing them as a “fiasco” that endangers lives, destroys public infrastructure, and depletes national resources for the benefit of foreign entities.
It can be recalled that Western Cluster was hit with its first suspension in April after a visit by President Joseph Boakai during the company’s alleged refusal to adhere to its Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) signed with the government.
An enraged Boakai slammed the company for causing more harm to the country than bringing relief to that mineral agreement signed lamenting that the company’s operation was not only damaging national infrastructures, it was also putting the lives of residents at risk.
Few weeks after Boakai’s outburst, the Public Works Ministry suspended the company’s permit asking for some compliance efforts from the management but after few weeks, the ministry lifted the suspension, instructing Western Cluster to proceed with its operations.
This decision has since not gone down well with lawmakers, thereby allegedly pursuing the ministry to suspend the company’s operations, following its investigation which demonstrated that WCL is incapable of fulfilling its portion agreement with the government.
The Senate said the Ministry of Public Works reinstated WCL’s road user’s permit without conducting a critical environmental impact assessment, neglecting the safety and environmental hazards posed by the trucking of iron ore 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 communication from the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA).
The EPA highlighted that WCL’s environmental permit for Class A Exploitation and Processing of Iron Ore Phase expired on June 5, 2024, violating Liberia’s Environmental Protection and Management Law.
The failure to renew the environmental permit within 30 days constitutes a direct violation of Section VI (G) of the Road User Permit, which mandates compliance with all environmental regulations and laws approved by the EPA.
The Ministry of Public Works underscored the severe health and safety risks to road users and the environment resulting from WCL’s non-compliance as such, the Ministry invoked Section VI (B) of the permit to suspend WCL’s operations immediately to protect public health and environmental safety.
This suspension will remain in full effect until Western Cluster Limited provides documented evidence of compliance with Liberia’s environmental laws and should WCL fail to rectify these violations within 60 days, the Road User Permit will be permanently revoked.
Commenting on the decision, Senate Pro-tempore, Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence said, “Due to sustained pressure from the Liberian Senate, the Ministry of Public Works has suspended the Road User Permit granted to WCL for the commercial hauling of iron ore along the Freeport of Monrovia towards the Bomi Hills Road corridor.”
