MOSCOW, November 17 - RAPSI, Sergei Feklyunin. A commercial court will consider on December 1 the Moscow Oil Refinery's request to invalidate the environmental watchdog's refusal to issue permission for noxious emissions, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

The Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources reported on October 28 that the refinery has no permission to emit noxious discharges. The previous permission issued by the Moscow branch of the Federal Service for Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management expired in July. Moreover, the report says the refinery failed to execute its obligations by the expiry date to substantially reduce its pollutants discharge in 2010-2011.

The service has also reported that the refinery was fined 870,000 rubles ($28,200) for environmental pollution in July and has paid the fine. It will pay another court-imposed 40,000-ruble ($1,300) fine in the future.

The refinery filed its request on October 6 and the judge scheduled the hearing for December 1. It applied for expediting the case on October 12, but the court chairman saw no grounds to satisfy the request.

The refinery's shareholders are Gazpromneft and the Moscow Oil and gas Company.