Oil and gas bill drafting reaches final stage

The drafting of the oil and gas bill had reached the final stage, spokesman of the Ministry of Mines and Energy Budhi Sulistiyo said on Wednesday.

Budhi said the ministry expected to submit the draft bill on June 26 or later this month to the State Secretariat for presidential approval.

"Normally, it takes about two weeks for the State Secretariat to put finishing touches on the bill. The Secretariat is expected to make no corrections of the contents since the Secretariat's officials took part in the drafting committee. The Secretariat usually only corrects the languages to put the bill into a law format," Budhi told Petromindo.Com.

After receiving presidential approval, the ministry expected to submit the draft bill to the House of Representatives for debates on July 15, Budhi added.

Budhi said the drafting of the bill involved state oil and gas company Pertamina, professional organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

He refused to reveal the contents of the draft bill, saying he did not have the copy of the bill.

Director general of oil and gas at the ministry Rachmat Sudibyo earlier said the bill aimed among others to revoke Pertamina's decades-long special rights of controlling the country's oil and gas industry (*)