Ministry consults with House on mining area determination

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Darwin Z. Saleh and Director General of Minerals and Coal Bambang Setiawan have made a consultation meeting with the Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR) on the process of determining mining area (WP).

"The results of consultation with the DPR will now be used as the basis for preparing the state reservation area (WPN), mining business area (WUP) and the smallholder mining area (WPR)," Darwin said, according to the ministry's website.

Bambang said during the meeting, the ministry proposed to determine seven islands and chain of islands with the minimum of 4 miles off coastline as mining areas. The seven are Sumatra Island, Java and Bali, Kalimantan Island, Sulawesi Island, Papua, Maluku Islands and Nusa Tenggara Islands

The ministry explained to the Commmission members that the the steps it will take in determining mining areas are as follows:

? First, the directorate of program development at the directorate genreal of mineral and coal will prepare draft WP after inventorying the potential mineral and coal together with teh ministry's Geological Agency and Research and Development Body.

? The program development director will then submit the draft WP to the director general of mineral and coal.

? The director general will submit a letter to the local government, asking for a meeting to coordinate and synchronize the map.

? The directorate general make a coordination and synchronization meeting local governments on the draft WP with the purpose of obtaining agreement on the WP map.

? The director general will then submit the draft to the minister of energy and mineral resources.

? The minister will then submit the draft WP to DPR for consultation. (*)