Beijing tightens control of industries affecting air quality

BEIJING - Beijing is to tighten control of industries that impact on air quality, the municipal bureau of quality supervision said Sunday.

The controls will cover the coal, petrochemical and chemical industries, the bureau said.

From January to August, the bureau inspected 1,114 coal production and processing enterprises and had found 36 cases where national standards were not being met, issuing fines totalling over 480,000 yuan (about $72,000).

Beijing will further cooperate with neighboring Tianjin and Hebei to protect air quality and crack down on any illegal activities, the bureau said.