"The dusty and pungent scenes of the past have long gone, and now here is a new farm with bluer sky, greener mountains and a more fragrant smell." Recently, Wang Yuming, the head of Qingyangkou Branch of the state-owned Shandan Farm (hereinafter referred to as "Qingyangkou Branch"), a prosecutor of the Procuratorate of Shandan County, Gansu Province, who came to visit us, said happily. Shandan County is rich in coal resources, among which Hongneng Coal Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hongneng Company") located in Laojun Township, Shandan County has an annual output of 900000 tons of raw coal. During the process of coal mining and washing, solid waste such as coal gangue is inevitably generated, accounting for over 40% of the raw coal. However, due to the low utilization value of coal gangue and the lack of relevant comprehensive utilization processes, coal companies often abandon it, "said the person in charge of Hongneng Company. In September 2021, the Procuratorate of Shandan County found in the process of performing its duties that some coal companies under its jurisdiction would build coal gangue yards to dispose of these coal gangue. When the service period of the coal gangue yards expired, the coal companies would close the yards as required, but the coal gangue produced later would not be treated in a standardized way, which not only occupied a large area of land, but also had a serious impact on the mining area and the surrounding ecological environment. After conducting on-site investigations, the prosecutor found that after the closure of the coal gangue yard, Hongneng Company transported the generated coal gangue to the Qingyangkou branch for open-air storage or paving. Moreover, the coal gangue storage area at the Qingyangkou branch did not undergo environmental assessment and relevant land use procedures. In response, the court promptly filed a case for investigation and issued a pre litigation prosecution suggestion to the relevant administrative department, suggesting that it order Hongneng Company to take effective measures to thoroughly clean up coal gangue, restore the land to its original state, and prevent environmental pollution. After receiving the procuratorial suggestion, the relevant administrative department shall immediately rectify it. As of now, all the coal gangue piled up in the open air at the Qingyangkou branch has been cleared, the contaminated area has been backfilled and covered with soil, and grass seeds have been sown. The coal gangue yard built by Hongneng Company strictly implements various administrative approval requirements such as soil and water conservation and environmental impact assessment, and corrects violations. In addition, the institute has had multiple exchanges and consultations with departments such as environmental protection, natural resources, and forestry and grass, actively urging Hongneng Company to construct a comprehensive utilization project for coal gangue and successfully solve the problem of coal gangue pollution from the root. In March of this year, Hongneng Company's coal gangue sintered brick production line was officially put into use, achieving a transformation of "industrial waste" entering the factory and "real gold and silver" output, embarking on a green development path. (New News Agency)