Overview
- The Ministry of Energy and Mines presented the draft Ley MAPE on Tuesday, October 13, proposing to end the temporary Reinfo on December 31, 2026 and move about 30,000 registered small and artisanal miners into a two‑year consolidation regime that runs to December 31, 2028.
- The bill would create FORMAPE, a new agency inside Minem that would centralize authorizations, run a single electronic window for permits, manage information systems and carry out end‑to‑end mineral traceability.
- Under the proposed permanent rules, any new operator or those restarting activity would need a sectoral authorization and environmental certification aligned with the national SEIA framework before beginning work, with specific requirements set by decree according to risk and territory.
- The proposal’s success hinges on Congressional approval and on the state’s capacity to process roughly 27,000 pending environmental files, prevent corruption, and resist political pressure to extend temporary registrations as high gold prices keep informal incentives strong.
- If implemented effectively, formalizing small and artisanal mining could add about 1.5% to GDP and create 300,000–400,000 jobs, but lawmakers will decide final terms, possible intermediate milestones and the concrete protections or sanctions that will affect miners and local communities.