E. Kalimantan won?t issue new coal permit

Petromindo|Khalsa

East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak said that his administration will no longer issue new IUP coal mining business license to help protect the environment.

?This is part of the administration?s commitment to help protect the environment,? he said in a statement obtained Thursday.

He added that the administration would also revoke the IUP license of coal mines where accidents have caused fatalities.

Awang said that during a recent meeting with President Joko Widodo, he had suggested for coal miners holding the coal mining contracts of work (or PKP2B) to be converted into special IUP license so that the provincial administration could have authority in taking actions against bad coal miners. The central government currently holds authority over the PKP2B coal miners.

He also lamented the fact that despite aggressive development of coal mines in the province, East Kalimantan continues to suffer electricity shortage.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak