Gas extraction company gets permits for subsoil use

Subject of complaint: Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, State Geological Service.
Complaint in brief: On December 14, 2017, a natural gas extraction company with assets in Western Ukraine turned to the Council. The Complainant had been unable to obtain permits for the use of subsoil since February 2017 and was forced to suspend operations at one of its fields.
Having submitted the necessary documents, the Complainant encountered a number of problems. At first, there were difficulties with the tax receipts confirming the absence of liabilities. After this issue was resolved, the Complainant was unable to obtain permits for more than three months. Then, in December, the lack of a quorum in the Commission issuing special permits for subsoil use under State Geological Service a meant the Commission simply did not do its work.
Actions taken: Having thoroughly examined the circumstances of the case, the BOC investigator brought the Complainant’s issue to consideration with the management of the State Geological Service as well as the Ministry of Ecology. He supported the company’s position and emphasized the need to comply with statutory time limits for reviewing and processing applications for permits. The investigator also contacted representatives of the Ministry of Ecology in the Commission  to resume their work.
Result achieved: As a result of joint efforts by the BOC and top officials at State Geological Service and the Ministry of Ecology the Commission resumed work at the end of December. The Complainant’s documents and other pending applications were finally reviewed. On January 12, 2018, the company informed the BOC that it had obtained two permits for subsoil use. The case was successfully closed in less than a month.