Chinese Government Breaks Up Black-Market Coal Ring
Beijing announced the arrests of six high-level organized crime figures involved with the illegal mining and distribution of coal. The operation, in the northeast Heilongjiang Province, reportedly employed over a thousand local miners. All of those arrested are expected to be tried and executed before the end of the month, charged with crimes against the state and against the climate.
As its need to cut down on air pollution and carbon emissions grew desperate, in 2015 China announced the closure nearly all coal-fired power plants built before 2001, and the corresponding closure of hundreds of mines. Unexpected delays in the construction of nuclear and wind power facilities left numerous communities with little or no regular electric power. Organized crime (and, reportedly, terrorist) groups have stepped in to manage coal production and power, usually with the acquiescence of corrupt local officials.