13 Amdal permits for coal mining operation revoked

As many as 13 environmental impact assessment (Amdal) permits for coal mining operation in Tanah Bumbu regency, South Kalimantan have been revoked by the local regency administration, Media Indonesia reported on Friday.

The head of the environmental office of the South Kalimantan provincial administration, Rachmadi Kurdi said in Banjarmasin recently that eight of the Amdal permits were revoked because they were counterfeit and the other five were revoked because they were issued without following standard procedures.

The illegal Amdal documents involved coal mining companies including PT Surya Kencana Asri, PT Total Orbit Prestasi, PT Seia Mitra Mandiri, PT Citra Nusa Jaya, PT Berkat Sarana Buana, PT Tri Tunggal Mandiri, PT Borneo Orbit Sukses Sejati, PT Bumi Dharma Kencana, PT Dharmatama Kencana, PT Kamikawa Gawi Sabumi, PT Bintuni S Prima, PT Bamega Global Mineral, and PT Borneo Indo Bara.

The Amdal documents of the eight companies were considered counterfeit because their Amdal permits were not backed by thorough analysis on the potential impacts of their operations on the environments, he said, adding that the other five Amdal permits were also illegal because they were issued even though the analyses on the potential impacts of their operations on the environments violated the standard procedures.

The local government also revoked the license of the government-appointed Amdal committee for its alleged involvement in the issuance of the illegal Amdal permits.

Rachmadi said the 13 Amdal permits which were revoked were part of the 27 problematic Amdal permits found in the regency. He said that the other 14 Amdal permits were being investigated.

He said earlier that as many as 27 coal and plantation companies in Tanah Bumbu had been temporarily prohibited from operation for not having proper documents on environmental impact assessment (Amdal). (*)