The State Duma is considering a law that would oblige companies to finance the restoration of land after mining. This solution is aimed at solving the problem of abandoned areas and increasing the environmental responsibility of business.
Russia is preparing to introduce strict environmental requirements for mining companies. A bill on the creation of a special reclamation fund has been submitted to the State Duma. Its main goal is to ensure the restoration of lands that have been disturbed by mining.
The new rules will affect enterprises mining ore and placer gold, as well as other common minerals. According to the initiative, licenses for use subsoil will be issued only after the company provides financial guarantees for restoration work.
The amount of security will be calculated individually. The average cost of reclamation work for approved technical projects over the last three years will be taken as a basis. This approach makes it possible to establish a fair contribution amount for each specific case.
The bill pays special attention to the situation with the bankruptcy of subsoil users. If a company goes bankrupt, its subsoil plot will not be transferred to a new applicant for a year. For deposits of regional importance this period will be six months. Funds from the reclamation fund will be sent to authorized bodies to carry out the necessary restoration measures.
As one of the authors of the initiative, Dmitry Kobylkin, noted, many companies profit from the development of deposits, but leave behind disturbed lands. Among the main reasons for the current situation, he named the lack of funds from subsoil users, their bankruptcy or simple dishonesty.
The adoption of this law will be an important step in strengthening the country’s environmental security. It will create an effective mechanism for restoring disturbed lands and increase the responsibility of mining companies. This will preserve natural resources for future generations.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.
Source: nedradv.ru
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