Govt to submit to DPR two bills on energy, general mining

The government will next year submit to the House of Representatives (DPR) two bills respectively dealing with general mining and energy, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said Wednesday.

Purnomo said the drafting of the first bill, General Mining Bill, had been completed and would be soon submitted to DPR. He did not say however exactly when the government would do it.

The general mining bill is meant to replace the current mining law, which was issued in 1967 and which many parties view as paying too little attention to the interest of people living in the regions.

The bill does not differentiate between mining for foreign investment, which has dominated the country’s mining sector over the years, and investment from locals. This differs from the current mining law, which sets to different fiscal and legal systems for foreign and local investors.

Meanwhile, the second bill to be submitted to the parliament is Bill on Energy Utilization.

So far, the government has never disclosed basic points of the bill. (godang)