The text was approved by two commissions and faces criticism of environmental risk and possible unconstitutionality
What loose the rules for the issuance of Environmental Licensing, approved by the Senate Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Commission) on Tuesday (20.MAI.2025), must pass on Wednesday (21.MAI) by voting in urgent plenary.
The text, which standardizes the procedures for issuing environmental license across the country and had been approved by the House in 2021, was analyzed at the same time by CRA and CMA (Environment Commission).
After being for the two commissions, the collegiate endorsed the urgent request for voting in plenary.
Supported by the Senate President (Brazil-AP Union), changes in current rules are criticized by environmentalists. Before the vote, the president of the CMA, the senator (PT-ES), said that the bill may have an addiction of unconstitutionality and that economic interests need “obeying environmental preservation”.
He stated: “I ask for reflection on what we are voting. The right to the environment is from Brazilian society. And who is the guardian of this right is the Brazilian state. […] We have to understand the gravity and complexity of this bill”.
The Senate CMA rapporteur, (MDB-RO), said that despite “controversial”The project is of great interest to the Brazilian economy. He stated that the unlocking of the text was possible due to the common report between the commissions.
“Until then, it was impossible to bring 2 divergent reports to the plenary. The theme is, by nature, very controversial, but (…) we have been giving in until we form this standard report“, These.
What the proposal says
The proposal determines that military, extended or semi-intensive livestock, will have a licensing exemption.
It also creates the so -called LAC (license for adhesion and commitment). In this modality, the person responsible for the work declares, on his own, that he will comply with all environmental rules – and thus obtain the license automatically, without the environmental agency to technically evaluate the case before.
Another point is the unique environmental license, which brings together, in one document, the authorizations to build and operate the enterprise.
Licensing exemption for low impact activities and the ability to regularize businesses that work without environmental license are also planned. By the project, the use of a commitment term in simplified environmental licensing could be used for medium -sized activities through LAC.
The Senator (PSD-MA) stated that enterprises such as those that caused Brumadinho’s tragedy could be considered medium-sized and therefore would have the licensing process facilitated.
“It is an addicted project and opens large gaps so that fatalities can be repeated“, These.
Rapporteur at the Agriculture Commission and one of the articulators of the text, the Senator (PP-MS) said the theme has been under discussion for 1 and a half years, that “does not weaken licensing”, That the“Lacs already exist and are used in several statesAnd that the project will bring legal certainty.
“Brumadinho happened and did not have the Environmental Licensing Law. This law came to standardize the processes. (…) The law we are discussing does not revoke any punishment for environmental crime”He declared during the vote.
