In the previous post, we talked about the new decree of the General Regulation of Environmental Assessment, in this post we will see the new regulation and its most relevant changes.
New Guideline
According to information shared by the Government, last year alone, SETENA processed 1,644 D2 Files. With this new guideline and reform to the regulations, the Government seeks to eliminate the duplication of requirements at the institutional level and simplify the bureaucracy and the permitting process for new projects, businesses, and low-impact private developments.
Once it becomes effective, the beneficiaries will include all those improvement, repair, and reconstruction projects executed by public or private infrastructure developers since they will not require SETENA anymore to give the green light to the environmental viability of the project if they comply with the parameters established by the regulation.
The new reform clearly states that only low-impact projects will be exempted from filing this form. Therefore, sufficient legal-technical support in the environmental area must be necessary to determine the viability or exemption of filing this form before any prior request to SETENA.
Relevant changes in the new regulation:
– Simplification of procedures and reduction of requirements for the project developer.
– Greater weight on an environmental follow-up and monitoring model and the ecological fragility conditions of the project areas.
– Cost reduction of up to 50% in Environmental Impact Studies for PYMES.
– Reduced review deadlines for all forms and evaluation instruments on the part of the administration.
– All improvement, repair and reconstruction works or projects carried out in public or private infrastructure do not require environmental viability.
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