Rapporteur says government should support new environmental licensing

The deputy (PL-MG), of the new Legal Framework of Environmental Licensing, said on Tuesday (8.Jul.2025) that the federal government must support the approval of the text under discussion in the House. The final version should also be presented to party leaders and voted in plenary next week, before the recess in the National Congress.

According to him, the base parties and the (PT) government itself followed the processing and participated in the negotiations from the beginning. “The base parties and the government itself, they participated in the entire debate a year ago, have discussed this”stated in conversation with journalists at the headquarters of FPA (Parliamentary Front of Agropecuária).

The proposal is seen with disagreements within the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Although the (Ministry of Environment) said in, in, that the PL “Incringes the Constitution”e “represents significant discruitment of the rule […] and risk to environmental and social security ”2/3 of the Senators of the Government Base in favor of the project, representing 45% of the favorable votes to the measure.

The Minister of Agriculture, (PSD), in May that “The project will provoke the development of the country”. In line, but without defending the issue directly, the Minister of Transport, (MDB), said that “Years without advancement in important works lead to reflection.”

“Works licensing has been locked for a long time and may have led the National Congress to read. Regardless of what we think, each one has a vision, but we have to understand that the National Congress has legitimacy to discuss these themes.”he said during the Pantanal Route optimization at B3 (São Paulo Stock Exchange).

Vetoes and judicialization

He acknowledged that there may be punctual vetoes from the government, but said there is an attempt to agree to minimize disagreements. “You can’t say there will be no veto, but it’s something they are trying, by themselves, to limit and reach an agreement”he said.

Regarding judicialization, it did not rule out the possibility of PSOL (Socialism and Freedom Party) or the sustainability network to bring the discussion to the Supreme Court (STF).

“Everything has become judicialization now. […] I don’t have much hope that they do not judicialize ”said Zé Vitor.

The Minister of the Environment, (Network), who will prioritize the dialogue with deputies in an attempt to modify the bill, but will support vetoes if changes are not made.

She argues that the new milestone will weaken environmental protection, ignores the climate crisis and can affect between Mercosur and the European Union, as the fulfillment of environmental goals is a requirement of Europeans to formalize the free trade agreement.

Understand

The central point is changing the rules for the issuance of environmental licensing. The project defines environmental licensing as the “Administrative proceeding intended to license activity or enterprise user of environmental resources, effective or potentially polluting or capable, in any way, to cause Environmental degradation”.

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 critical point is Lau (single environmental license), which joins, in one document, the authorizations to build and operate the venture.

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. (Read other points at the end of this text).

Here’s the 7 types of licenses, with issuance deadlines:

• LP (PREVIOUS LICENSE) – 6 or 10 months, depending on the type of study required;
• LI (Installation License) – 3 months;
• LO (Operating License); 3 months;
• Lau (Unique Environmental License); 3 months;
• LAC (license for adhesion and commitment);
• LOC (Corrective Operation License) – 3 months;
• Special Environmental License.

Some enterprises may require more than one type of license.

The text ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING Activities such as:

• cultivation of species of agricultural, temporary, semi -perennial and perennial interest;
• extensive and semi-intensive livestock;
• small intensive livestock;
• Agricultural research, which does not imply biological risk and have prior authorization.

Also exempt of the Licenses Empreendimentos such as:

• military character;
• considered of insignificant size;
• Emergency in response to the collapse of infrastructure works, accidents or disasters;
• Urgent works and interventions that are intended to prevent the occurrence of imminent environmental damage or to interrupt life -threatening situation;
• Public Electricity Distribution Works to the tension level of 69 kilovolts, in urban or rural area;
• solid waste sorting plants, mechanized or not;
• Construction Waste Recycling Plants;
• Patios, structures and equipment for composting of organic waste.

Other points

• Basic Sanitation – will have simplified procedures and priority in the analysis for environmental licensing issuance;
• Mining Enterprises – For licenses of activities or large and/or high risk enterprises, the provisions of CONAMA (National Council of the Environment) will prevail until specific law will be enacted;
• medium -sized intensive livestock – may be licensed with simplified procedure in adhesion and commitment modality;
• licensing renewal – They can be renewed successively. If there is no changes in the venture, it may be renewed automatically by declaration of the entrepreneur in a form available on the Internet;
• provisional renewal – If the renewal is required 120 days before the expiration of the license and is not analyzed in time, it will be extended automatically, until definitive manifestation of the organs;
• internet – Environmental licensing should be processed electronically at all stages. The information – requests, decisions and environmental studies – is public and must be on the internet;
• potentially degrading – In the case of a request involving activity or venture potentially causing significant degradation, it must be published by the entrepreneur in an official newspaper.