Prior to the enactment of Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation, the regulatory framework governing AMDAL in Indonesia was primarily based on Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management. Its technical provisions were further regulated under Government Regulation No. 27 of 2012 on Environmental Permits.

However, Law No. 32 of 2009 and Government Regulation No. 27 of 2012 are no longer the primary legal references for the current AMDAL framework following the enactment of Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation, which introduced an environmental management cluster, along with Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021 as its implementing regulation.

The definition of AMDAL is stipulated in Article 1, Point 5, which defines AMDAL as an assessment of the environmental impacts of a planned business and/or activity. The same legal framework establishes AMDAL as a consideration in decision-making and as part of the requirements related to the licensing of business activities. In addition, Article 1, Point 44 introduces the authority of the Environmental Feasibility Assessment Institution as a successor to the AMDAL Assessment Commission previously established under Law No. 32 of 2009.

Furthermore, Article 3, Paragraph (3) of Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021 stipulates that AMDAL and UKL-UPL serve as the basis for obtaining Environmental Approval. Article 4 further provides that Environmental Approval is a prerequisite for the issuance of Business Licensing and/or Government Approval. Meanwhile, Article 5 establishes that the termination of Environmental Approval also results in the termination of the relevant Business Licensing and/or Government Approval.