Social and environmental sabotage
Nearly 50 organizations condemn Amendment 65, which would abolish environmental licensing for large-scale construction projects
Nearly 50 civil society organizations expressed their condemnation this Monday, May 16, against Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 65 that plans to abolish the environmental licensing process for construction projects across the country.
Pending in the Senate, the amendment bill would require the presentation of an Environmental Impact Study – a mere preliminary survey – for a construction project to be authorized. Once this permission is granted, the construction may not be suspended or cancelled.
In a public statement, the organizations claim that, if approved, Amendment 65 would weaken the role of environmental bodies, which would no longer be able to analyze the preliminary reports and establish conditions, seriously compromising the government’s capacity to prevent potential social and environmental damage.
The organizations also warned that there would be a relaxation of the oversight of projects that could cause irreversible harm to the population and to the environment, like what happened in the town of Mariana, in the state of Minas Gerais, when an iron ore tailings dam burst in November 2015.
“Amendment 65 is a serious and unacceptable setback because it excludes any possibility of in-depth analysis into projects with a social and environmental impact,” explained Juana Kweitel, program director at Conectas. “The bill also violates an entrenched clause of the Brazilian Constitution, which determines that the fundamental rights of the human person and the principles of environmental protection are an essential and common good,” she concluded.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office has also spoken out against the passage of the bill, emphasizing that, in addition to the factors mentioned above, the Constitutional Amendment disrespects the rights of participation and of free, prior and informed consultation provided for in Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, which was ratified by Brazil in 2004.
The bill could be voted in a full session of the Senate at any time. If approved, it will proceed to the Lower House.
The text was submitted by Senator Acir Guracz, who, in a recent interview with BBC Brasil, admitted that he would personally benefit economically from the bill.
Twitter campaign
Today the hashtag #Amendment65No was a Trending Topic on Twitter after a campaign run by civil society organizations, lawmakers and individuals who oppose the bill.
- Click here to read the public statement of condemnation.
