Civil environmental public interest litigation by the Environmental Institute of Changping District of Beijing against Basin Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. over ecological damage

The Environmental Institute of Changping District of Beijing filed a civil public-interest lawsuit against Basin Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., alleging that construction of a hydropower station in the upper Yangtze River endangered the Sichuan–Shaanxi Zheluo Salmon, a first-class nationally protected species, and caused ecological damage. The defendant had completed an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and obtained approval from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, including requirements for fishways, artificial breeding, and habitat protection. After administrative penalties for minor violations, the company rectified all issues under supervision. The court found that the hydropower company’s construction complied with legal EIA procedures and included adequate protective measures, and the evidence did not prove actual or significant risk of ecological harm. The lawsuit was dismissed, with the court emphasizing that high-quality development and high-level protection must be balanced, and that legal EIA-based projects with effective mitigation measures do not constitute a threat to public environmental interests.