‘Coal, mining firms to go through eye of a needle’

by Jonathan L. Mayuga - July 4, 2016

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/coal-mining-firms-to-go-through-eye-of-a-needle/

WHEN it comes to mining and coal-fired power projects, the directive of President Duterte to speed up the release of business licenses and permits will not apply.

Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez told the BusinessMirror that to protect the country’s rich biodiversity from destructive development projects, her department would place under strict scrutiny and extensive consultation all mining and coal-fired power investments.

For instance, she said biodiversity experts that were not consulted before would have to be part of assessment of environmental impact of projects. “From now on, we are going to change all that.” 

An environmental advocate, Lopez said biodiversity conservation would be among her priorities as the country’s chief steward of the environment and natural resources.

“I have absolute passion for biodiversity, because iyan ang kayamanan natin [because it’s part of our national wealth].  We are the No. 1 endemic country per unit per area in the planet.  This means the flora and fauna is exclusive to us.  So why destroy it?” she stressed. “Biodiversity is very important to me.  That is our wealth.” 

A known antimining advocate, Lopez is also expected to give proponents of coal-fired power-plant projects a hard time, consistent with the ongoing review of the country’s energy-mix policy being spearheaded by the Climate Change Commission (CCC).

She said mining and coal investments are both environmentally destructive projects, which need to be strictly regulated.  

Lopez said renewable energy, such as solar projects, would be prioritized under her watch, adding that the cost of constructing solar plants is now cheaper than coal. 

While mining is destructive to forests, coal, she said, causes pollution. Renewable-energy sources, on the other hand, are more environment-friendly and sustainable.

“These are my commitments.  When we audit, one, the main discerning thing on what we will do is the people’s welfare. If mining adversely affects residents of the mining site, that is not responsible mining. Responsible means no one is adversely affected; no one suffers. Fishermen, farmers, communities should not become ill,” she said.

She reiterated President Duterte’s pronouncement and warning to large-scale mining companies to shape up, saying she will not hesitate to stop mining once the people and environment are threatened.

“We have laws.  I will enforce those laws,” she said, citing an administrative order issued by her predecessor last year requiring all mining companies to secure an International Organization for Standarization 14001.  The deadline under Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2015-07 signed by former Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje lapsed on June 30.

She noted that only about 30 percent of the mining companies have complied with the requirement. 

Failure to comply with the order may spell the suspension of mining operation or cancellation of mining contracts.

Lopez, however, assured that there will be no rash decisions that may result in loss of jobs in mining.

“Even if we suspend or close the mine site, I will make sure that the people working there will have work to go to,” she said.

Lopez also vowed to help mining companies become more environment-friendly by introducing mining technologies that will have minimum impact on the environment.

In a separate interview, Director Theresa Mundita S. Lim of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) pitched the call for a stronger biodiversity-conservation policy in mining. 

She suggested that mining companies start integrating biodiversity conservation in their environmental programs. 

Mining companies are required by the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 to implement a social development management program.  Some companies engage communities in tree-planting activities. 

Mining companies are also required by law to rehabilitate mined-out areas; but trees planted are sometimes fast-growing trees or high-value crops, such as cacao and coffee.   

Lim cautioned that in rehabilitating degraded forest such as mining areas, native trees that used to grow in the area should be replanted.

Lim said biodiversity conservation should also be integrated in premining activities by requiring mining companies to come up with an inventory of plant and animal species that thrive in areas targeted for mining.

While it is mandated to conserve biodiversity, the DENR-BMB has no part in evaluating the potential impact on biodiversity of major development projects such as mining.

The DENR-BMB is also not being consulted when mining companies conduct plant-rehabilitation activities.

While saying rehabilitation efforts can make mined-out areas productive again, theoretically, whatever biodiversity is lost in an area may no longer be restored or brought back, especially if the species are site-endemic, underscoring again the importance of establishing baseline data before any activity that will disturb or destroy the ecosystem.

She said the Philippines is rich in plant species with a lot of potential pharmaceutical or medicinal value. 

“Once these are lost, we also lose the opportunity of benefiting from these plant species,” she said.

She said there are also plant species that grow only in a particular area because of the soil nutrient or microbes in the soil. 

“Once these soil are disturbed, we may not be able to grow back or restore these species,” she said.  According to Lim, some site-endemic species happen to thrive in mineralized areas or areas targeted by mining companies.

The DENR-BMB, she said, is willing to help mining companies plan rehabilitation activities to restore local vegetation that will bring back the biodiversity that was lost because of mining activities. 

However, she said, to better plan biodiversity conservation or restoration activities, there should be a baseline data to start with.

“So we really need to have a baseline data so that we will know what are the species we need to plant to restore biodiversity,” she said. “If they want to effectively restore, we need to know first what we stand to lose.  We can provide them technical support and expertise on that.”