Freeport won?t be allowed to expand tailing dumping area

State Minister of Environmental Affairs, Nabiel Makarim, will soon issue a regulation on the revision on copper and gold mine operator PT Freeport Indonesia?s environmental management plan or RKL and environmental monitoring plan or RPL.

Speaking at a hearing with the Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) last week, Makarim said that under the revised RKL and RPL documents, the mining giant would not, among others, be allowed to expand its tailing (mineral waste) dumping area.

The minister said that the result of the ecological risk assessment study (ERA) reported by Freeport to his office on December 23, last year indicated that the company?s tailing dumping site had an impact on the environment. He did not unveil what was the impact of the dumping site but said that the environmental impact was in line with the prediction as stated in the document of the company?s 300K environmental impact analyses.

Makarim said that a number of "parameters" in the document had a problem and needed a further study. "Based on the finding, we would soon issue a regulation on the revision of Freeport?s RKL and RPL documents," he added.

According to him, his office would impose new requirements in the new regulation such as requiring Freeport to build a cross levee in the tailing disposal area. The company would not be allowed to expand its 450 km tailing disposal area given the high risk of its environmental impact on water ecology, its radioactive impact on human health and the possible change in the composition of the animal species in the area. (*)