KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — The National Climate Change Bill (RUUPIN) is expected to be tabled in Parliament after Budget 2026 is presented, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who is acting natural resources and environmental sustainability minister, said the bill is under review by the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
“God willing, once this bill is finalised, we will table it in the Dewan Rakyat. The proposal is that if there are no major changes to RUUPIN, we will table it after the budget (presentation) this year and then proceed with the debate,” he said during the question-and-answer session.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Simpang Renggam), who asked whether the government could guarantee that RUUPIN would be enforced as soon as possible, given that policies related to mining in permanent forest reserves (HSK) remain unclear.
Johari said that to date, no mining activities have taken place within HSK areas in the country.
To assess the feasibility of rare earth element (REE) mining activities in HSK, Johari said the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) has agreed for the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) to carry out an impact study on mining activities in these areas.
He said the study aims to provide a scientific and technical basis for policy considerations relating to the prohibition of mining in HSK, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, and protected reserve areas.
“The implementation of this study is planned in phases over five years, covering the pre-mining, mining, and post-mining phases. The study components encompass six main aspects, namely hydrology, soil, flora, fauna, carbon stock and socio-economy.
“This study also involves cooperation with technical agencies such as the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, the Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia, the Wildlife and National Parks Department, the Environment Department, and PLANMalaysia (Department of Town and Country Planning),” he said.
He was replying to an original question from Datuk Alias Razak (PN-Kuala Nerus)about the status of a study to allow REE mining in HSK and the timeline for its completion.
Johari said FRIM conducted a short-term study last year in a rubber plantation area in Mukim Kenering, Perak, which applied the in-situ leaching mining method.
“Based on the preliminary study report, it can be concluded that REE mining activities would only have minimal negative impact if carried out in accordance with the prescribed standard operating procedures.
“Repeat data collection for 2025 is underway to compare the preliminary and latest findings. This activity is expected to be completed in September 2025 for reporting purposes in October 2025,” he said.
Johari said, however, that FRIM still has to assess the impact of mining in natural forest areas before drawing an overall conclusion, and that policy decisions on mining activities in HSK will only be considered after FRIM’s study is done.
