The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is stepping up its crackdown on illegal oil refineries. Under orders from Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, equipment at these operations will be impounded to ensure they can’t start up again. Some 200 million dinars ($168,000) has been allocated by the government for the removal of equipment from the illegal refineries, Sami Jalal, an official from the KRG committee tasked with the job, confirmed to Rudaw on April 21. “For the same purpose, Erbil municipality provided three parcels of land to store the remnants of these facilities,” Jalal added. The Kurdistan Region has been plagued by unregulated oil refineries that damage the environment but are considered a necessary evil since they help provide electricity, which the Region suffers […]