Environmental protection funds failing to perform basic duty reports NIK
A Supreme Board of Inspection (NIK) report says 86% of Polish
manufacturers have no pollution reduction facilities and voivodship
environmental protection funds are acting like investors instead of
supporting ecological enterprises. NIK says in seven voivodships (out of
16) company contributions to the funds were not collected. In Krakow, the
fund has invested zl. 191 million in shares and securities, but only zl.
66 million on the environment. In Zielona Gora zl. 300,000 was spent on a
new car and newspaper subscriptions. NIK says nine loans had been frozen
and zl. 1.5 million were lost. However, the general environmental
conditions have improved. For example at the Turow power plant the
emissions of poisonous sulphur dioxide has decreased by 47% and of
particulates by 86%. The total gas emissions in Poland have dropped by
half. The use of the ozone destroying refrigerant Freon has dropped from
6,710 to 1,762 tonnes in nine years and Halons, mainly used in fire
extinguishers, have been eliminated. (Rzeczpospolita, page A5)
