Government warns 42 firms
Government warns 42 firms
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The government on Monday warned 42 companies, some of them state-
owned, to radically improve their protection of the environment
within six months, otherwise they would face severe punishment,
including a freeze on their operations.
"The 42 companies have violated a series of requirements set
by Law No. 23/1997 on the environment," State Ministry of
Environment Rachmat Witoelar said.
"We have the right to immediately bring them to court without
further investigation, but we will consider educating them by
giving them time to improve," he added.
The 42 companies were put in the "Black Category" -- the
worst -- for their poor environmental practices and their
operations that have caused social problems for local people.
Rachmat said the firms that ignored the warning would be
punished, ranging from administrative sanctions and legal suits
to the revocation of their operational permits.
"It is regrettable that some of these companies are owned by
the state. They should be more embarrassed than the others
because their operations have been funded by the public, but in
return they cause pollution for the society and environment," he
said.
The 42 were part of 251 companies operating in a wide variety
of sectors, including energy, mining, textiles, paper, forestry
and plantations. Each was scrutinized by the office of the State
Ministry of the Environment from January 2003 through September
2004.
At least 77 of the 251 companies are controlled by foreign
investors, 98 others are wholly domestic and the remaining 76 are
state-owned firms.
The ministry classified these companies into four groups based
on their environmental records -- Green Category, Blue Category,
Red Category and Black Category.
Some of the more well-known companies in the Black Category
include textile firm PT Batamtex in Ungaran, Central Java; paper
manufacturer PT Aspex Kumbong in Bogor; PT Sasa Inti seasoning
company in Probolinggo, East Java; natural gas company PT DOH NAD
in Langkat, North Sumatra; mining firm PT Jorong Barutama Greston
in South Kalimantan; state-owned palm oil plantation company PTPN
VI PKS Pinang Tinggi in Jambi; and PT Jabar Utama Lumber in
Tangerang.
These firms apparently ignored all of the requirements
stipulated by the environmental regulations, particularly in
waste management systems.
The Green Category was reserved for companies that abided by
all the articles in the environment law as well as other related
regulations on water management, air pollution control and waste
management systems.
The nine companies grouped in the Green Category included PT
Unilever Indonesia based in Surabaya, East Java and Cikarang,
West Java; construction companies PT Indocement Tunggal Perkasa
and PT Semen Cibinong in Bogor, West Java and Cilacap, East Java,
respectively; and chemical firm PT Nippon Shokubai Indonesia in
Cilegon, Banten.
The Blue Category was for companies failing to fulfill one or
two requirements set by the environment regulations. There were
114 companies categorized as Blue.
Meanwhile, 86 companies were grouped in the Red Category for
failing to obtain permits for their waste processing management.
"Regrettably, none of the 251 examined companies were placed
in the Gold Category, which shows their total commitment to the
society and environment," Rachmat said.