Newmont welcomes court?s decision on tailings placement permit

By Godang Sitompul

PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT) welcomes the State Administrative Court?s decision to reject a lawsuit by a group of environmental activists against Environment Minister on the submarine tailing placement (STP) permit awarded to Newmont.

Through the court, activist from the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) and West Nusa Tenggara of Gema Alam supported among others by the Peoples Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara), the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) and the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) had sought to revoke the Environment Minister?s decision to renew STP permit for Newmont in May 2011.

?Walhi?s arguments were rightly rejected by the court because they lacked both legal and scientific basis,? said Martiono Hadianto, PTNNT?s President Director in a press statement

?The evidence clearly demonstrated that Environment Minister followed all the mandated procedures in renewing the permit and that the STP system is protective of the environment."

The company said that the court's judgment was consistent with the findings of ongoing inspections, monitoring, environmental and social studies and tests conducted over the past 12 years by the Government of Indonesia, PTNNT and independent third parties.

It said that all of those studies consistently showed that the STP system at Batu Hijau complies with applicable regulations and is operating as designed.

Editing by Adianto P. Simamora