IBAMA rejects Ministry of Economy suggestions to loosen environmental rules

IBAMA, the federal government environmental agency, rejected the proposals forwarded by the Ministry of Economy, manufactured in coordination with corporations, which aimed at the loosening of environmental rules to “unlock the economy”

Among the ministry’s requests are “automatic environmental license issuance whenever there are delays in analyzing applications, an increase in the area of vegetation removal from the Atlantic Rainforest without the need for a license from IBAMA, and exemption from licensing to explore mining waste,” reported the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

Eduardo Bim, president of IBAMA, in a letter sent to the Ministry of Environment, declared that it is not up to the agency to evaluate the demands, but to the “competent authorities”.