Chairman of the Energy and Minerals Sector Regulatory Commission (EMRC) Ziyad Saaida has emphasized the significance of fostering direct communication channels and establishing sustainable relationships and mutual cooperation between the commission and customers in the natural resources sector. Saaida highlighted the importance of achieving optimal utilization of local mineral resources and their sustainability, including rehabilitation programs for mining sites, environmental governance, and social responsibility for various investment projects in the sector. The sector is considered a vital contributor to the national economy and plays a crucial role in driving economic growth. The official made these comments during a recent consultative meeting organized by the commission with service recipients and licensed entities in the natural resources sector, as indicated in a statement by the EMRC on Wednesday. During the session, the updated version of process engineering was reviewed, with a focus on automating all services provided by the commission to facilitate and simplify procedures, expedite transactions, improve service quality, and increase customer satisfaction. Regarding the notable achievements realized during the first half of this year, Saaida stated that the EMRC granted 1,116 export permits, 71 quarrying licenses, and 3 exploration licenses. Furthermore, he pointed out that the commission, as part of its supervisory role, conducted daily inspection tours targeting 882 mines and quarries in various regions of the Kingdom during the first half of this year. As a result, 70 closure orders were issued to entities that violated licensing conditions, and 30 non-compliant quarries were given warning notices. Additionally, Saaida underscored that the regulatory will persist in conducting its field tours and intensive campaigns on all businesses operating in the sector to make certain that they hold the requisite licenses to work within the prescribed locations and coordinates. Adhering to license conditions, mining rights, and site restoration is obligatory to maximize the utilization of local mineral resources, enhance their added value, and ensure human health and safety, and environmental protection, To enrich the debate, participants delved into the sector’s key challenges and proposed possible solutions to address them. They also responded to queries and remarks, emphasizing the importance of such a gathering in promoting a collaborative methodology to discover efficient solutions and suitable mechanisms to tackle the sector’s problems while preserving the rights of all concerned parties and coordinating with relevant authorities.
Source: Jordan News Agency