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FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF ACCUMULATED ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES IN MINING REGIONS

M. Redina, O. Korobova, A. Khaustov

Abstract

Mining regions are traditionally most technogenic pressured and transformed during the exploration of mineral resources. In each country producing mineral resources the problem of restoration of damaged territories is especially significant because of a variety of consequences of the destruction of natural complexes: latent/ hidden effects, secondary pollutions and destruction of soils and state of groundwater, complex of consequences for the biota. In Russia, i.e., currently there are more than 340 large scale objects of the accumulated environmental damages caused by mining activity. The “pollutant pays” principle in many cases cannot be applied: many causers of the damages do not exist currently. This was old enterprises that was closed after the exhaustion of the mineral deposits or the old enterprises changed the owner or a legislative form. Thus, it is impossible to find any another source for the financial support as only the state or the regional budget. This leads to the necessity of the state program on elimination of damages and restoration of territories. The main instrument for the providing of the efficiency for such programs is the state financial support. But in this case the priority objects are to be selected as well as the best restoration measures. For these purposes was a special algorithm elaborated for the setting of priorities in the selection of objects to be restored and a set of protecting measures to be realized. In reality there is a complex of problems of the justification of the priority objects list. The main problem is connected with a very low level of the methodological documents for the damages assessment. This leads to the impossibility of an adequate assessment of real state of objects. In the article are shown the main problems of application of actual methodological documents and some first results of the realization of the state federal program on the elimination of accumulated environmental damages in mining regions as well as assessment of the financial instruments efficiency.

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