The Ministry of Forestry in Indonesia has reportedly frozen some 80 mining environmental permits across the country as part of a compliance review.
According to Indonesia Business Report, the agency is evaluating environmental compliance for about 1,358 coal and nickel extraction units across 14 provinces considered, as it said, to be environmentally critical.
As of February 25, 250 units had been inspected, but 80 of those had their environmental approvals frozen.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq told the outlet that the number could rise, as the review process is still continuing.
“Approximately 80 environmental permits have been frozen. But the number will increase as evaluations continue, including those suspected of contributing to flooding,” Hanif said.
Per Government Regulation No. 22/2021, environmental disputes of this type are initially handled through out-of-court mechanisms. Hanif told the paper that if no agreement is reached after five to seven rounds of negotiation, the case is moved to court.
He recalled, per the report, that nearly 30 cases were resolved outside of court. The others proceeded to litigation.
Hanif estimated to the news outlet that state revenue from enforcement actions related to environmental non-compliance could reach Rp5–6 trillion, or US$298-358 million.
He said he hopes strict enforcement measures can create a broader deterrent effect across mining.
“We expect the deterrent effect to resonate widely, so others will be more cautious,” he said.Source: Forestry Ministry freezes 80 mining environmental permits amid compliance review | Indonesia Business Post