Norman Harsono The Jakarta Post  Fri, February 14, 2020

The Tutupan coal mine (pictured above in March 2011) is one of the mining blocks owned by PT Adaro Indonesia in Balangan district, South Kalimantan. (JP/R. Berto Wedhatama)

Proposed changes to the 2009 Mining Law make clear that the government will prioritize economic growth at the risk of overlooking its environmental commitments.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, which leads the drafting process for the revision, plans to loosen several restrictions to boost downstream mining industry growth.

While miners welcome the government’s efforts, environmentalists and some lawmakers have raised questions over the revision’s impact on natural disaster mitigation and coal consumption.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif listed on Thursday five principles in the proposed revision, the first of which was economic growth. Trailing behind that principle were energy security, resource scarcity, environmental protection and sustainable development.  “There has to be economic growth,” he reiterated at a meeting.

From: THE JAKARTA POST, INDONESIA Fri, February 14, 2020

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