Civil environmental public interest litigation by the Environmental Institute of Fengtai District of Beijing against Jiangsu Steel Group over environmental pollution

The Environmental Institute of Fengtai District of Beijing filed a civil public-interest lawsuit against Jiangsu Steel Group, alleging large-scale illegal storage of steel slag and excessive emissions of smoke and dust that caused environmental pollution risks. During the proceedings, the local government initiated an ecological and environmental damage compensation mechanism, negotiating an agreement with the company for restoration and compensation totaling over CNY 40 million. After the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court judicially confirmed the compensation agreement’s legality and effectiveness, the plaintiff applied to withdraw the lawsuit. The Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court approved the withdrawal, holding that all claims relating to public environmental interests—cessation of pollution, hazard removal, and compensation—had been fully fulfilled, satisfying Article 26 of the SPC’s Interpretation on Environmental Civil Public Interest Litigation. The court clarified that a plaintiff’s withdrawal may be granted only when public-interest claims have been entirely realized.