Civil liability for environmental damage from mining on small islands: PT Gag Nikel Case after Constitutional Court Decision No. 35/PUU-XXI/2023
Keywords:
Unlawful Act, Strict Liability, Protection of Small IslandsAbstract
This study aims to examine the qualification of PT Gag Nikel’s mining activities as unlawful acts (perbuatan melawan hukum) and to formulate the appropriate model of civil environmental liability following Constitutional Court Decision No. 35/PUU-XXI/2023. This research employs normative legal research using a statutory, conceptual, and case approach by analyzing constitutional norms, environmental legislation, and relevant judicial decisions. The analysis demonstrates that the Constitutional Court decision repositions ecological protection as an imperative norm that prevails over administrative compliance. Consequently, mining activities on small islands that result in ecological degradation are materially unlawful, regardless of the existence of formal permits. From the perspective of Indonesian environmental civil law, such activities trigger strict liability as regulated under Article 88 of Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management. The study concludes normatively that PT Gag Nikel bears civil liability for environmental damage without the need to prove fault. The liability extends beyond monetary compensation to include full environmental restoration (restitutio in integrum) and ecological compensation, in accordance with the polluter pays principle and the constitutional right to a good and healthy environment. This construction affirms that administrative permits do not function as a justification to negate civil responsibility for environmental harm on small islands.
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