Russian Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev, who came to the governmnet after a series of scandals over investment competitions, is ready to return to them.
Photo: Àëåêñåé Ôèëèïïîâ
| Other Photos |
 |
|
 |
Tender-Free Mineral Rights May Return
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources is preparing amendments to the law “On Mineral Wealth” that will allow a return to investment competitions, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Vladimir Lozbinev told a parliamentary hearing at the State Duma yesterday. The ministry had favored auctions for the assignment of licenses since a series of scandals involving investment competitions in 2001. Lozbinev called the move “a search for optimal proposals according to the degree of development of the raw material being recovered.”
Natural Resources Minister Yury Trutnev first mentioned the possibility of retuning to investment competitions a year ago. The law “On Mineral Wealth” was passed in 1992 and has been amended numerous times. Competition is described in the current edition of the law as follows: “The main criteria for the declaration of a winner when holding a competition for the right to exploit a mineral wealth lot are the scientific and technical level of the program for geological study and exploitation of the mineral wealth lot, completeness of the extraction of the minable resource, the contribution to the socio-economic development of the territory, the timeframe for the corresponding programs, effectiveness of measures to preserve mineral wealth and the environment, [and] considerations of national security.” The criterion for the winner of an auction is the largest bid.
The regions have been gradually undermining the legal procedures set up after the scandals of 2001-2003. Volgograd Region wants to include municipal officials among those with the right to license mineral production. Khabarovsk Territory wants licensing of small and medium-size deposits transferred to regional officials. Sakhalin wants to decide what competition and auction can be held on its territory. Surgutneftegaz, meanwhile, wants auctions with only a single participant recognized.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 11, 2008
|
|
|
