The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has shut down a large-scale gold mining operation run by Nugget Era Mining Company in Gbelee Town, Gbarpolu County, after finding the company was operating across 32 claims without a valid environmental permit.
The EPA announced Wednesday that the company's Class "B" mining activities were in direct violation of Liberia's Environmental Protection and Management Law.
A comprehensive EPA compliance inspection conducted in February 2026 confirmed that Nugget Era Mining was running a fully functional mining camp with continuous day-and-night excavation, the agency said. Inspectors determined the operation posed "significant environmental risks to Zorballa Creek and downstream communities that rely on its water resources," according to the Environmental Protection Agency statement.
The EPA statement said investigators found that Nugget Era Mining "had not completed the legally required permitting process, despite acknowledging that no valid permit had been issued."
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The agency noted that the company had not submitted an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, nor had it developed an Environmental and Social Management Plan as required under the EPML. "There were also no approved site rehabilitation strategies, water protection measures, or workforce disclosures on file," the Environmental Protection Agency stated.
In response to the findings, the EPA immediately ordered Nugget Era Mining to cease all mining, excavation, and hauling operations. The Compliance Order also required the company to secure all equipment and operational areas and take immediate steps to prevent further sediment discharge or environmental contamination.
To resume operations, the Environmental Protection Agency said Nugget Era Mining must fully comply with Liberia's environmental regulations. "That includes the submission and approval of a comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, the development and implementation of an Environmental and Social Management Plan, and the establishment of site rehabilitation strategies and water protection measures," the Environmental Protection Agency stated. The company must also provide full workforce disclosures, the agency added.
On April 29, 2026, an EPA enforcement team led by the Inspector General, with support from the Liberia National Police, executed the Compliance Order on-site in Gbelee Town. Three hydraulic mining machines were impounded during the operation.
EPA inspectors documented multiple violations at the site. "These included unsafe environmental practices, including unrehabilitated open pits and the absence of progressive mining measures," the Environmental Protection Agency stated. The agency said open pits had been left without backfilling or re-vegetation, increasing the risk of erosion and water contamination for communities downstream of Zorballa Creek.
The Liberia Immigration Service was also present during the enforcement action to verify documentation for foreign workers at the site. However, "no records were produced" for the foreign nationals found on the premises, the Environmental Protection Agency stated.
The EPA issued a warning that continued non-compliance by Nugget Era Mining will trigger stronger action. "Continued non-compliance will invoke stronger legal remedies, including further confiscation of equipment, additional administrative penalties, and full prosecution under the EPML," the Environmental Protection Agency stated.
"Liberia's natural resources must be developed responsibly, legally, and sustainably," the Environmental Protection Agency said in its statement. "No entity, regardless of size or ownership, is above the environmental laws of Liberia."
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The EPA reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the country's ecosystems, water bodies, and communities. The agency said it remains "steadfast in safeguarding Liberia's ecosystems, water bodies, and communities from unlawful and environmentally harmful activities."
It added that enforcement actions will continue across all counties to ensure mining and other extractive activities meet national environmental standards and community safety requirements.
The shutdown in Gbelee Town marks one of several recent EPA enforcement actions targeting illegal mining operations in western Liberia. Class "B" licenses typically cover medium-scale mining, but still require full environmental authorization before ground is broken, according to the EPML.
