Today (July 4, 2025), J. Aldarjavkhlan, Member of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, submitted a draft law to amend the Law on Common Minerals to Kh. Bulgantuya, Deputy Chairwoman of the State Great Hural.

The amendments introduced in 2021 to Article 12, Clause 12.3 and Article 17, Clause 17.4 of the Law on Common Minerals prohibit the issuance of special permits for exploration of common minerals within 1 kilometer of residential and green zones.

Member of the State Great Hural J. Aldarjavkhlan noted that the draft law does not regulate relations concerning the issuance of special permits for exploration and exploitation of commonly distributed minerals in areas with water reservoirs and their protection zones.

Provincial and capital city Citizens’ Representative Hurals have the authority to include exploration and mining sites for commonly distributed minerals in their general land-use plans. However, it is necessary to precisely legislate the authority to decide whether to continue exploration and extraction activities based on environmental impact assessments conducted after mining operations.

Article 6, Clause 2 of the Constitution of Mongolia establishes the legal provision that “Citizens have the right to know about the environmental impact resulting from the use of subsoil resources within their rights to live in a healthy, safe environment.” To fully implement this provision, the draft law includes the following amendments and additions. Specifically, it aims to create a legal framework prohibiting the issuance of special permits for exploration and exploitation of commonly distributed minerals in areas with water reservoirs. The draft law also clearly defines the grounds for conducting environmental impact assessments on activities carried out by holders of issued special permits, and it stipulates detailed regulations concerning the cancellation of such permits if negative environmental impacts are identified.

Furthermore, the bill’s sponsors reported that they have obtained statistical data on land degradation and damage caused by the extraction of commonly distributed minerals, as well as information from the Environmental Department—the implementing agency under the Capital City Governor—regarding permits overlapping with protected zones and measures taken in this regard.