IMA wants to be involved in discussing mining closure

The Indonesian Mining Association (IMA) hailed the government?s plan to issue a regulation on reclamation and mining closure, saying that the positive move would help create legal certainty and trim down illegal mining activities, Bisnis Indonesia reported Tuesday.

The association asked the government to discuss the formula together in a more detail to come up with a proposal that would benefit both the government and the mining companies.

IMA?s chairman Jeffrey Mulyono made the remarks in response to the government?s plan to issue a regulation on reclamation and the mining closure obliging the companies to deposit funds for the mining closure prior to the end of the contract.

?It would be advisable to turn the regulation into a legal binding regulation so as to boost the sense of accountability on the part of all mining companies to further continuation of their mining concession area after digging activities are completed, he said.

He even expressed his agreement with a regulation obliging mining companies to prepare funds for the reclamation and mining closure process because in this way, every (mining) company would have full responsibility.

Meanwhile, The Indonesian Coal Mining Association (APBI) executive director Soedjoko Tirtosoekotjo said that the closure mining plan is an integral part of the mining opening plan.

Therefore, he said, there was no reason for mining companies to be objected to the government?s plan to issue a regulation obliging mining companies to prepare funds for the reclamation and mining closure.(*)