In Brazil, Congress votes to relax environmental permits

The new environmental protection rules create exceptions for the granting of permits for works classified as strategic and facilitate the issuance of certain permits on the basis of a simple declaration of commitment.

Following the Senate's approval in May, 267 members of parliament voted for the bill on Thursday, while 116 voted against. Left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has yet to sign it into law.

The Brazilian NGO network Climate Observatory on Thursday described the adoption of the bill in the lower house as "the biggest environmental legislative setback since the dictatorship" (1964-1985), and Greenpeace said that "the project of devastation" must "be totally rejected."

Lula has not yet commented on these new regulations, which have divided opinions within his government. The Environment Ministry has called them a "death blow" to environmental protection, while the Agriculture Ministry has supported their adoption.

On the parliamentary opposition side, defenders of the text argued that it aimed to "simplify" the process of issuing permits to promote the "development" of Latin America's largest economy.

"There is not a single comma that endangers the environment; we are seeking to overcome bureaucracy," said the text's rapporteur, Zé Vitor, a member of parliament from the Liberal Party of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.

"The issuance of environmental permits has not prevented the construction of any works in the country," said Rodrigo Agostinho, president of the public environmental control body (IBAMA).

The institute announced that it would challenge the reform in court, deeming it unconstitutional.

Lula is seeking to make Brazil a leader in the global environmental debate, while promoting a mega-oil exploration project in a maritime area near the Amazon, which still needs authorization from Ibama.

Brazil will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP30, in November in the Amazonian city of Belém.