Members of the Standing Committees on the Economy and Environment and on Food and Agriculture discussed and agreed to establish a task force to study the law on the Prohibition of Mineral Prospecting Exploration in water basin areas and forest areas on Tuesday September 17th. The purpose of the task force will be to understand the respective departments positions on the controversial issues surrounding the amendments to the draft law and to streamline them into regulatory compliance within the law.

The law makers noted that the law on the Prohibition of Mineral Prospecting Exploration in water basin areas and forest areas was enacted in July in 2009 and the process of issuing mining licenses ran ordinarily for 11 months. During this period four new mining licenses were issued to 120 mining sites until the introduction of the law on prohibiting the release of new special licenses for mineral resource exploration was initiated by the President in June 2010. Therefore those special licenses and 789 exploration special licenses granted before the law was enacted and the 77 operation licenses after the law was passed will not be affected by the new amendments into the law.

But there will be an opportunity for 346 operating special license holders to apply to continue their operations.

At the end of the meeting the Standing Committee members agreed to establish a task force to accommodate views on the controversial issues of the draft law. MP D.Arvin has been appointed to lead the task force to study the controversial law on the Prohibition of Mineral Prospecting Exploration in water basin areas and forest areas.