Kazakh NGOs letter of concern about the EBRD Mittal Steel Temirtau Health & Safety Project

On May 8, 2007 EBRD answered this letter. Download the response as pdf here.

Also on June 13, 2007 mr Alistair Clark, Director of EBRD's Environment Department sent the following letter.

Thank you for your e-mail of 6 June 2007. You raise some very important points that to some extent we had the chance to touch upon at the Annual Meeting. We have also been discussing these and other issues internally and with the Mittal. In particular, we are discussing with the company the need for providing information in the public domain on environmental, health and safety, and social programmes, as well as reporting on progress.

The previous project was focused on the steel mill, and while emissions are not ideal, they have significantly improved since 1996 with EBRD and IFC involvement. However, the possibility of working together with Mittal Steel in the project under consideration by the Bank, will bring much needed health and safety improvements in the mines in line with the Bank's policies.

Categorisation of projects in accordance with the EBRD Environmental Policy, depends on the type of studies needed. In this particular case, the focus is on safety improvements, and an environmental impact assessment will therefore not be needed. Nevertheless, taking into account the need for increased information and transparency, we would require that a stakeholder engagement plan identifying self-contained monitorable components of the project would be agreed with Mittal.

We would like to check with you on the possibility of organising a working meeting in Kazakhstan between representatives from Green Salvation, Karaganda EcoMuseum and other relevant organisations as well as from local communities and Mittal with several of our EBRD environmental experts. This meeting is meant to facilitate discussing the company's proposed plans for communication. We hope that you would welcome this meeting which we afre planning in the near future.

Thank you again for your comments, as well as the information provided at the EBRD Annual Meeting in Kazan.

Best regards

Alistair Clark
Director, Environment Department