Brazilian mining municipalities challenge new environmental licensing law

The Brazilian Association of Mining Municipalities (AMIG Brasil) has requested to participate as amicus curiae in Supreme Federal Court (STF) proceedings regarding the General Environmental Licensing Law (Law 15.190/2025). The association is contesting several provisions through various direct actions of unconstitutionality.

AMIG Brasil argues that the new law risks weakening environmental oversight and reducing the autonomy of local governments. A primary concern is the possibility of completing environmental licensing without prior verification of a project's compatibility with municipal land use and occupation norms. The association also claims the law may restrict requirements for preventing and mitigating indirect and cumulative impacts, such as increased heavy vehicle traffic and pressure on public services.

While the new law aims to reduce bureaucracy and accelerate infrastructure projects, the sanitation sector faces a complex landscape. Although Article 10 temporarily exempts water and sewage treatment systems from certain licensing requirements to meet national universalization goals by 2033, industry representatives suggest that bottlenecks have merely shifted to other stages, such as obtaining water resource use permits.