Regions lose power over regional environment

-The legislative amendments will solve a number of problems within mineral extraction and handling of wastes, Chairwoman of the State Duma Committee of Natural Resources, Natalya Komarova, says in a press release. The State Duma on 26 December approved the bill. It was subseqently, on 5 January, signed by President Medvedev.

Critics fear that the amendments will not help protect Russian environment. On the contrary, environmentalists believe the revised law will prepare the ground for industrial expansion into vulnerable areas, until now protected by law.

From now on, it will be easier to extract mineral resources. New industrial initiatives will require the approval of less federal bodies, leaving the sole decision power to Rosnedra, the federal agency of mineral resources. Also in issues of waste management, the law reduces the power of the state to interfere in company activities.

In addition, the amendments will further undermine regional authorities’ power over own natural resources.

In the revised law, the regions are deprived the power to rule over the extraction of regional (non-precious) metals and minerals. Also the regions’ current “excessive administrative barriers” linked with mineral extraction have been terminated, the law reads.

Environmentalists have warned the legislators about the possible consequences of the amendments. Representatives of the Murmansk-based organizations Nature and Youth, the Kola Centre of Wild Nature Protection and the Gea Centre say the proposed amendments will ruin the current system of nature protection. As BarentsObserver previously reported, they also believe that the new law will open up for the possible leasing of nature reserves and nature parks to industrial companies.

Read press release from State Duma here

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