Minister will not revise environment law

The Environment Ministry has insisted that it would not delay the implementation of the 2009 Environment Law as it did not believe it would hamper the mining of the country?s rich natural resources, The Jakarta Post reported on Wednesday.

The ministry also asserted that it would not amend an article of the law, which has created controversy as it was initiated purely by the House of Representatives.

The statement was made in response to calls from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and oil and gas business groups for a two-year delay over fears that the law?s tightened standards of emissions and waste water levels could hurt oil and gas production.

?The complaint against the new emissions and waste water standards is baseless. We have not yet discussed the draft of the government regulation to set the new standards,? Illyas Asaad, deputy for environmental compliance at the Environment Ministry told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Article 100 of the 2009 Environment Law stipulates that anyone violating standards of waste water, emissions and noise levels will face a maximum of three years imprisonment and/or up to Rp 3 billion (US$=Rp 9270) in fines. (*)