Department complains of green tape choking new developments
MPs were told yesterday of the Department of Minerals and Energys concern about how the regulatory environment was affecting mining, especially new projects.
Appearing before Parliaments Minerals and Energy Portfolio Committee, the departments acting director-general Martin Mononela accused over-zealous officials from the Environmental Affairs Department of demanding a parallel process of compliance with environmental impact assessments. According to Business Report, Mononela was referring to pressure from the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs, which recently sent his department a letter saying certain mining operations in the province could not proceed as they did not have appropriate environmental impact assessments. He said that in terms of existing legislation, mining houses needed to comply with an environmental management plan, which was policed by the Department of Minerals and Energy. He said it was important not to create additional operational costs by duplicating certain departmental processes, obliging a business to carry out licensing procedures with two departments. Full report in Business Report