China said Monday it removed 29 firms from its list of “qualified steel makers” – the first time it has taken such action – and threatened another 40 with removal if they did not reform. The government said the 29 companies hadn’t met environmental standards or had halted production for too long. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) started compiling its list of “qualified steel makers” in 2009 in an attempt to regulate quality and curb overproduction. After topping out at 304 company names in 2015, the list now stands at 275, according to Caixin. The delisted companies don’t immediately have to close, and punishment for continued noncompliance is unclear, with the warning simply saying that producers must meet standards for environment, safety, quality, energy consumption and technology, MIIT said in its statement Monday. The companies can apply to be relisted in 12 months.