The Mining Exploration and Exploitation Projects They are lost in a tangle of Bureaucratic procedures that can delay for decades or make them never reach the final permit to start the extraction work.
In the General Directorate of Mining (DGM) are maintained paralyzed 275 applications of exploration and exploitation, some with up to 17 years old.
The authorities in charge To coordinate these processes, and the business sector affected by the arrears, agree that the origin of the problem is a mining law (146-71) that establishes procedures which were designed for 1971.
Rolando Muñoz Mejía, head of the DGM, explained that others Reasons of delay They are the return of the files for breach of the legal requirements and the complexities of the mining business, which requires expensive and long -term studies.
“Many times applications within areas that cannot be given mining concessions. So, the file must be returned so that they can leave out, for example, areas of tourism development, areas of agricultural development, protected areas, which is the case that is repeated the most, “he explained.
The authorities work on a Digital platform in which applicants can correctly specify the land and avoid returns of documents for rectification.
The director of Mining He admitted that the most time part is the approval for exploitation, after the authorization And the exploration to detect the presence of minerals.
“Sometimes a request to approve a metal deposit lasts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 years. After you locate that deposit, identify resources, quantify, that you do the environmental impact study, the economic study, you get a Social licensethat sometimes carries a lot, “said the engineer in Geology and Mines.
The Metal mining concessions They are the most rigorous and the ones that take longer. The pending exploration requests in this line are 88, but those who already exceeded this stage and made a request for exploitation are only two: the Romero, Goldquest Dominican project, in San Juan, and the South Neita, of Unigold Resources, in Dajabón.
Both look for gold, silver, copper and zinc. Most of the non -metallic They are interested in deposits of limestone rock, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, silica, clays, basalt and silícea sand. The least frequent look for salt, plaster, granodiorita, feldspar and plaster.
He Ministry of Energy and Mines I already consult with the interested sectors a draft that will then submit to the National Congress to modify the Law 146-71 and reduce the deadlines taken by Permits of mining exploration and exploitation.
Muñoz said that he will soon issue a resolution to get out of 43 files that will be dismissed by breaches.
More agile
Martín Valerio Jiminián, Executive Director of the Petroleum Mining Chamber of the Dominican Republic, observed that, in addition to the excess of bureaucracyit is necessary Human resources in the public instances.
Valerio recognized the effort that has been made to expedite the procedures in recent years, despite which a long lag.
“The government is making an effort, because previously that came to the Executive Power to give you the terms of reference. But we must recognize that there are still Technical limitations And maybe Human resources In the evaluation, “he said.
He also considered that these difficulties have a negative impact in the Investment attraction.
“The delay in administrative processes Definitely project one Image of inefficiency. That threatens the Legal security and obviously it would not be in coherence with the government plan to efficient public management for the Investment attraction. But, being fair, they are making a remarkable effort to improve that, “the lawyer evaluated.
