Brazil’s controversial environmental licensing bill ready for House vote

This afternoon, Brazilian lawmakers are set to vote on a bill creating a new legal framework for environmental licensing. Used to authorize works and operations ranging from the construction of roads to agriculture, these permits are either issued by state-level bodies or Brazil’s environmental agency Ibama, depending on the project’s size.

The proposal to alter these rules has been brewing for over 17 years but will finally go to a vote this week after being fast-tracked by House Speaker Arthur Lira. Beyond simply speeding up the process, Mr. Lira skipped many of the deliberative steps such a consequential bill would require, and appointed a rapporteur linked to big agro.

Environmental organizations call foul play and deem the current bill “the worst land licensing proposal ever presented,” as stated by Mauricio Guetta, a legal consultant at non-profit organization ISA, dedicated to defending diffuse rights related to the environment. “It is a law that grants landowners the right to give permits to themselves,” he tells The Brazilian Report.

If approved as is, the bill would only make permits necessary for projects considered to have a “significant impact” on the environment — such as hydroelectric or thermal power plants. Licensing would be facilitated for agricultural properties,...