Moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang extended till year-end

PUTRAJAYA: The moratorium period on bauxite-mining activities in Pahang has once again been extended until Dec 31.
Following cabinet approval, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the extension is to enable the bauxite stockpile areas in Felda Bukit Goh, Sungai Ular and Gebeng, totaling 4.13 million metric tonnes, to be cleared for export purposes.
"Up to Aug 30, the ministry has issued 38 Approved Permits (APs) with 3.76 million metric tonnes export quantity to operators.
"However only 1.27 million metric tonnes have been exported from the Kuantan Port and Kemaman," he told a press conference here, today.
Wan Junaidi said the ministry will be submitting its papers on the new standard operating procedure which includes terms and conditions, roads, ports, mining and stockpile to the Cabinet soon.
He added that the paperwork would be first sent out to relevant ministries and agencies for feedback and comments.
The latest announcement came after the government imposed a moratorium on all bauxite-mining activities in Pahang for three months from Jan 15 to April 14 which was extended for another three months, until July 15 and then extended further until Sept 14.
It was reported on Jan 3 that the government was pushing to suspend bauxite mining due to the concerns about its impact on the environment, until regulations, licensing and environmental protection are put in place.
Bauxite mines have been springing up in Malaysia since late 2014, notably in Kuantan, to meet increasing demand, especially after Indonesia banned bauxite exports in early 2014.
Bauxite exports in Kuantan contributed RM46.7 million to the state government through royalty collection in 2015, a marked increase as compared to RM2.4 million the previous year.