The Director of Institutional Relations of the National Transport Confederation (CNT), Valter Luís de Souza, said in an interview with CNN That, in conversations with the Ministry of Environment (MMA), saw a “open” space to reduce the time of delay in the process of environmental licensing to build roads and railways.
The director cites a conversation with Ana Toni, executive director of COP30 and National Secretary for Climate Change of MMA.
“We can’t have a general release to build roads, have to be a rule. We understand that. I now talked to Secretary Ana, MMA and she is totally open so that these processes advance so that we reduce in a faster process for these deliberations,” he said.
Recently, CNT supported Bill No. 2,942/2019, which amends PNMA (National Environmental Policy) to allow the use of previous environmental impact studies in the licensing of new enterprises located in the same region.
The text was approved by the CCJ (Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Commission) of the House of Representatives and now returns to the Senate.
The theme of environmental licensing, however, is broad and generates disagreements within the government itself. An emblematic example is BR-319. The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, was directly involved in discussions about the work and defends the holding of a “strategic environmental evaluation” to carry on the licensing of the highway.
The asphalting of the highway, which connects Porto Velho (RO) to Manaus (AM), is considered one of the most sensitive works of the new PAC in the Amazon. Environmentalists warn that the project can stimulate illegal deforestation in the region.
The requirement for broader and more careful studies tends to extend the licensing process, which makes it difficult for the work to be licensed, bid and started during the current term of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT).
“We have to be aware that building a road is totally different from making deforestation to plant soy and grazing cattle. The railroad has a very narrow domain range and deforestation is not as long as making a soy and corn plantation,” Valter said.
