Environmental Permits Serve As Means To Create Sustainable Growth

Batam, Riau Islands, June 19 (Antara) - Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said environmental permits which are one of the conditions to issue business permits serve as a means to create sustainable growth with equity. "Environmental permits serve as a means to create sustainable growth with equity. The government has expanded development strategies which are not only pro-growth, pro-poor, and pro-jobs, but also pro-environment," he said at a national working meeting on environmental impact analysis (Amdal) here on Wednesday. The pro-growth, pro-poor, pro-jobs, and pro-environment policy known as a sustainable growth with equity policy puts environmental issues as a center or core of all development plans in Indonesia, he said. With the policy, the government is convinced that economic growth will benefit the people`s welfare in an environment-oriented way, he said. "Environmental permits may serve as a filter of businesses and activities to fulfill three conditions of sustainable growth, namely economically profitable, socially acceptable and environmentally friendly," he said. Therefore, at the meeting the minister gave directives and instructions to the working units of the environment ministry and regional environmental agencies to strengthen environmental impact analysis infrastructure, environmental management effort and environmental monitoring effort (UKL & UPL) and ensure the effectiveness of environmental permits. The obligation to make environmental management and monitoring efforts applies to activities exempted from the obligation to conduct environmental impact analysis. He said environmental impact analysis, environmental management and monitoring efforts and environmental permits will serve as an effective instrument to uphold the environmental law if environmental permits legally bind the commitments of initiators and business players. The meeting brings together some 1,000 participants from provincial, district and municipal environmental bodies, Coordinating Board of Center for Environmental Studies (BKPSL), Centers for Environmental Studies of different institutes of higher learning, environmental impact analysis consultants, relevant government agencies and members of the Forum for Environmental Impact Analysis (FAI).