Ruling to collect levy from undersea waste dumping ground rejected

The Legislative Council of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has rejected a ruling proposed by the provincial administration to collect levy from undersea waste dumping ground like that owned by copper and gold mining giant PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT).

The council?s chairman Lalu Serinata said in Mataram on Saturday that the council would first consult with non-governmental organizations especially those dealing with environment before approving the proposed law.

?We have decided to reject the ruling to prevent a negative reaction from the people,? he was quoted as saying by Kompas daily. He added that the proposed waste regulation could also cause controversies among regencies in the province because the borderlines of their maritime territories have not been clearly determined.

Newmont Nusa Tenggara is building an undersea waste disposal ground for its mineral waste but the project is proposed by local residents on fears that the undersea tailings placement would cause environmental problem.

In a bid to ease the controversies, the local government then proposed the issuance of a regulation to allow regencies to collect levy from the undersea waste dumping ground. But the legislators said that the ruling would not solve the environmental problem, which could arise from the undersea dumping ground. (*)