Brazil's environmental licensing agencies face new rules and investigations

The Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Commission of the Paraná Bar Association (OAB Paraná) prompted the Institute of Water and Earth (Instituto Água e Terra – IAT) to acknowledge that, under Federal Law 15.190/2025 and State Decree 12.799/2026, the municipal land‑use certificate is no longer mandatory for environmental licensing in Paraná. IAT also confirmed that public documents are generally accessible and that lawyers may examine administrative environmental processes without a power of attorney when the files are not sealed.

Separately, the Pará State Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a preparatory procedure to investigate alleged irregularities in the environmental licensing of the Cidade Jardim real‑estate development in Santarém. The prosecutor recommended the immediate suspension of the project's prior, installation, and vegetation‑clearance licenses, as well as a halt to land‑parcelling, infrastructure works, and sales. It also called for a new public hearing on the environmental impact study and a review of archaeological heritage requirements.