First Deputy Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government and Minister for Economics and Labor Mikhail Maximov chaired this year’s first meeting on environment and nature management; one of the main points on the agenda was related to the maximum permissible discharge limits (introduced by the government on March 18, 2005) the regional enterprises were supposed to reach.

Sverdlovsk Region’s First Deputy Minister for Natural Resources Galina Pakhalchuk said the deadlines (ranging from 2005 to 2011) were set for sixteen enterprises located in environmentally impaired cities; this included seven companies that were supposed to fit in the limits in 2007.

Serov Ferrous Alloys Works decreased its emissions down the set limit one year after the deadline (December 2007 instead of 2006). Serov Metallurgical Works failed to reach the limits by the deadline (that is, 2007).

However, the enterprise’s director reported at the regional Ministry of Natural Resources’ meeting that they had good enough excuses and that they were still trying to cut down on emissions hard enough. This is why the company’s deadline was extended through 2012, the spokesperson for the Ministry reports.