The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) and the Nitrain Community Forest Management Body (NCFMB) have threatened legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), accusing the agency of failing to respond to a formal complaint alleging environmental destruction and violations of community rights by Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL).
The organizations say the EPA's continued silence, more than two months after receiving the complaint, amounts to a failure to carry out its statutory responsibilities and undermines Liberia's commitments to environmental protection, sustainable forest management, and the rule of law.
The complaint, filed on April 30, 2026, was based on findings from the High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA), an internationally recognized multi-stakeholder initiative focused on protecting high-value tropical forests.
According to SDI, the HCSA found that GVL cleared approximately 1,000 hectares of Upper Guinea Forest in Sinoe County, including areas identified as critical habitat for the endangered western chimpanzee.
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The organization said that despite the findings and recommendations issued as far back as 2021, the affected forest areas have yet to be restored, and adequate conservation and land-use management measures have not been implemented.
Speaking at a press conference in Monrovia, James G. Otto, Coordinator of SDI's Community Rights and Corporate Governance Program, said the organization has repeatedly attempted to obtain an official response from the EPA but has received no formal communication.
"What we have done is visit the EPA offices, engage senior staff, exchange emails, and make follow-up contacts, but since filing our complaint on April 30, we have received no official communication from the agency," Otto said.
He described the EPA's silence as "a slap in the face" to civil society organizations that invest significant resources documenting environmental concerns in remote communities where government presence is often limited.
"We go to places where government institutions do not go. We document issues affecting communities and bring those concerns to the authorities. When the government refuses to respond, it discourages accountability and weakens public confidence in our institutions," he said.
According to Otto, the complaint alleges that GVL's operations may have violated several Liberian laws, including the Environmental Protection and Management Act, the National Forestry Reform Law, the Community Rights Law, and the Land Rights Act.
Copies of the complaint were also submitted to the Forest Development Authority (FDA) and the National Bureau of Concessions.
Otto said SDI's concern has now expanded beyond GVL's alleged conduct to include what he described as the EPA's failure to fulfill its legal obligations.
"We have exhausted the available administrative process. If the EPA continues to ignore our complaint, we will seek legal redress through the courts. We do not have the authority to compel the Executive Director of the EPA to respond, but the judiciary does," he said.
He explained that the planned legal action would seek to compel the EPA to formally respond to the complaint and carry out its responsibilities under Liberia's environmental laws.
The complaint relies heavily on previous findings from international sustainability organizations.
In 2021, the High Carbon Stock Approach concluded that GVL had converted approximately 1,000 hectares of High Carbon Stock Forest within its concession area in Sinoe County.
The HCSA technical report stated that allegations of forest clearance within GVL's Tarjuowon-Kpi Management Unit were valid and confirmed that High Carbon Stock forests had been converted in surveyed areas, with additional forest conversion occurring elsewhere within the concession.
Earlier, in 2018, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) found that GVL had destroyed sacred cultural sites, failed to obtain the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of some communities before beginning operations, and coerced certain communities into signing agreements with the company.
Otto argued that these findings demonstrate that GVL has already faced accountability concerns under international certification mechanisms.
"Our complaint to the government was straightforward. International bodies have already found GVL responsible and instructed the company to undertake corrective measures. We asked the EPA to enforce Liberia's laws. Instead, we have received silence," he said.
He questioned why government regulators have failed to ensure implementation of recommendations issued by international bodies, despite GVL acknowledging some of the concerns raised.
Otto noted that although the RSPO recently lifted sanctions previously imposed on GVL, several issues remain unresolved, including the conversion of provisional Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with affected communities into permanent agreements.
He cited the Tatwa Community in Sinoe County as one example where residents have completed community mapping and engaged government institutions in efforts to secure a permanent MOU without success.
"This is much bigger than one complaint," Otto said. "It reflects broader problems surrounding land governance, forest protection, and accountability within Liberia's natural resource sector."
SDI Executive Director Wilfred Gray Johnson described the EPA's response as disappointing and inconsistent with commitments Liberia has made nationally and internationally.
Johnson recalled that in 2016, the Government of Liberia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Civil Society Council of Liberia recognizing the role of civil society organizations in amplifying the concerns of communities affected by governance challenges.
"We are not making noise for the sake of making noise," Johnson said. "Civil society exists to ensure that the concerns of ordinary citizens are heard. The least the EPA should have done was formally acknowledge receipt of our complaint and indicate how it intended to proceed."
He also referenced Liberia's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, developed under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
According to Johnson, the framework commits the government to protecting citizens from corporate abuses, ensuring companies respect human rights, and providing effective remedies where violations occur.
"If Liberia has adopted these commitments, then government institutions must implement them. Companies that destroy forests should be required to restore them. Communities whose rights are violated deserve justice," he said.
Johnson rejected claims that forest restoration is impractical, pointing to reforestation projects undertaken by SDI and development partners in communities near Suakoko, Bong County.
"We are currently working with partners to restore degraded forest landscapes. If civil society organizations can undertake restoration projects, there is no reason the government cannot require companies responsible for environmental damage to do the same," he said.
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The organizations have also appealed to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to intervene and ensure environmental laws are enforced.
Johnson said he believes senior government officials may not be fully aware of the situation and urged the President to ensure that the EPA fulfills its legal responsibilities.
"We want the government to continue receiving international recognition for good governance, but that recognition must be matched by action. Liberia's forests, biodiversity, and rural communities deserve protection," he said.
He warned that if no official response is received, SDI and its partners are prepared to proceed with legal action.
"We hope litigation becomes unnecessary. However, if legal action is the only way to compel government institutions to perform their duties, then we are prepared to pursue that option," Johnson added.
Golden Veroleum Liberia is controlled by Indonesian palm oil company Golden Agri-Resources through the Verdant Fund, a Cayman Islands-based holding company.
According to the environmental advocacy platform Forests & Finance, major financiers linked to Golden Agri-Resources include BlackRock, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Kopernik Global Investors, Rabobank, Silchester International Investors, and Vanguard.
As of press time, neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor Golden Veroleum Liberia had publicly responded to the latest allegations or the threat of legal action.
The EPA has not confirmed whether it is investigating the complaint filed by SDI and the Nitrain Community Forest Management Body.
The dispute adds to growing concerns among environmental advocates over enforcement of Liberia's environmental and land governance laws as the government faces increasing pressure to balance economic investment with environmental protection and the rights of local communities.
