Brazil’s congress passes bill to overhaul environmental regulations

RIO DE JANEIRO AP A bill to overhaul environmental regulations in Brazil was passed by the country s lower house Thursday drawing criticism by the environmental minister who floated the possibility of a presidential veto With the bill already passed by the Senate in May it now goes to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who casts himself as an environmental defender and later this year will preside over the first U N context talks known as COP to take place in the Amazon Lula can sanction the project veto it in its entirety or veto only certain aspects Lula has not publicly comment on what action he might take If signed by Lula the sweeping provision will weaken federal agencies environmental licensing powers Among other measures it speeds up review for projects deemed priorities by the federal regime reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic strategies to one It also eliminates reviews for upgrades to existing highways which could clear the way for to pave the whole of a highway that runs about kilometers miles through the western part of the Amazon Environmentalists argue that the project will lead to mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest The bill s approval is a triumph for supporters who argued Brazil s current regulations necessities to be simplified but a blow for environmental experts and green activists who refer to it as the devastation bill The bill passed with a strong majority votes to After the bill passed Conditions Minister Marina Silva informed local press that the bill undermined environmental rule and that the federal governing body would still seek alternatives including the possibility of a presidential veto A campaign in the lead up to the vote commented the bill could lead to a regression in poisoning control risking vitality issues increase water contamination and scarcity increase deforestation and undermine protected areas At the heart of concerns is the proposal to install a self-declaration process for environmental licensing which Suely Ara jo the society initiative coordinator at the State Observatory system of NGOs explained would cover around of total projects in Brazil Companies would file a description online press a button and the license will be issued she commented calling the proposal by far the worst piece of rule ever from an environmental standpoint Last week more than nonprofits including Greenpeace and WWF Brazil signed a petition expressing their deep concern regarding the bill which they say represents a huge institutional setback for Brazil and the collapse of over years of enhancement of national environmental bill Gabriela S Pessoa contributed from Sao Paulo Follow AP s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https apnews com hub latin-america Source