Known as the Deforestation Law Project, Bill 21.159/2021 was approved by the Federal Senate on May 21, receiving 54 votes in favor and only 13 against. On July 17, the bill was passed by the Chamber of Deputies with the support of 267 congressmen. Presented by the agribusiness caucus, the bill’s main features include the flexibilization of environmental licensing rules and the establishment of a new legal framework for the regularization of development projects throughout the country.
Overall, the main changes revolve around the establishment of the Single Environmental License (LAU), which consolidates the traditional three-step environmental licensing process into a single step focused on assessing the capacity for installation and operational expansion. Additionally, the requirement for environmental studies—previously mandatory only for high-impact activities—is loosed and replaced by the Adhesion Commitment License (LAC), resulting in a less detailed analysis by environmental authorities. The license renewal process is also affected, as renewals for activities classified as medium or low pollution potential are now granted automatically.
In addition to the numerous changes made throughout the text, Senate President Davi Alcolumbre (DEM-AP) introduced a last-minute amendment creating the Special Environmental License (LAE), intended for development projects deemed “strategic”—even if they cause great environmental impact.
Overall, the main changes revolve around the establishment of the Single Environmental License (LAU), which consolidates the traditional three-step environmental licensing process into a single step focused on assessing the capacity for installation and operational expansion. Additionally, the requirement for environmental studies—previously mandatory only for high-impact activities—is loosed and replaced by the Adhesion Commitment License (LAC), resulting in a less detailed analysis by environmental authorities. The license renewal process is also affected, as renewals for activities classified as medium or low pollution potential are now granted automatically.
In addition to the numerous changes made throughout the text, Senate President Davi Alcolumbre (DEM-AP) introduced a last-minute amendment creating the Special Environmental License (LAE), intended for development projects deemed “strategic”—even if they cause great environmental impact.
In an official statement, the Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) asserts that Bill 2.159 constitutes “a direct offense to the Federal Constitution, which, in Article 225, guarantees all Brazilian citizens the right to an ecologically balanced environment and requires an environmental impact study for any construction or project that could harm nature.” The Ministry describes the bill as an imminent threat to the country and criticizes Congress for ignoring the climate emergency. It emphasizes the urgent need for “an effective legal framework capable of promoting sustainable development based on technical criteria, transparency, and institutional responsibility.
This process is unfolding less than six months before COP 30, organized by the United Nations and set to take place in Brazil this November. Despite publicly affirming its commitment to environmental protection, the country continues to expose its moral contradictions by endorsing actions that undermine sustainable development.
Even after the environmental tragedies of recent years in Brazil—such as the dam collapses in Brumadinho and Mariana—and the growing impacts of climate change, including severe floods and droughts, environmental legislation remains under threat. The Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world, is one of the primary targets of this legal rollback when decision-making power is granted to companies that contribute to deforestation, pollution, the predatory exploitation of natural resources, harm to local wildlife, and climate change.
This process is unfolding less than six months before COP 30, organized by the United Nations and set to take place in Brazil this November. Despite publicly affirming its commitment to environmental protection, the country continues to expose its moral contradictions by endorsing actions that undermine sustainable development.
Even after the environmental tragedies of recent years in Brazil—such as the dam collapses in Brumadinho and Mariana—and the growing impacts of climate change, including severe floods and droughts, environmental legislation remains under threat. The Amazon Rainforest, the largest tropical forest in the world, is one of the primary targets of this legal rollback when decision-making power is granted to companies that contribute to deforestation, pollution, the predatory exploitation of natural resources, harm to local wildlife, and climate change.