# Brazil federal environmental lawsuits > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/brazil-federal-environmental-lawsuits > Updated: 2026-08-05T15:49:38.000Z. Sources: 27. Developments: 3. In July 2026 Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry (MPF) joined forces with the Labor Public Ministry (MPT) and the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) to file two civil actions in Porto Velho against the Santo Antônio and Jirau hydroelectric projects on the Rio Madeira. The suits allege that the concessionaire falsified environmental reports between 2011‑2013, causing up to a 95 % collapse of high‑value fish species. Prosecutors seek at least R$ 250 million in damages for environmental harm, plus R$ 80 million in collective moral damages, and request that the federal government create a River Basin Committee and a water agency to give indigenous peoples, fishers and riverine residents a voice. They also ask that the National Water Agency, IBAMA and the Rondônia environmental secretariat be barred from issuing or renewing licences for major projects in the basin until remedial measures and independent impact studies are completed. Later that month the MPF in Paraíba urged state prosecutors to halt illegal domestic sewage and solid‑waste discharges into the eight basins draining João Pessoa, calling for diagnostic studies, sewage‑load assessments and a feasibility study by the water‑sewage company Cagepa, with interim nature‑based solutions such as constructed wetlands, green pits, biodigesters, rain gardens and vegetated barriers. In the same briefing the ministry pressed the Brazilian Navy to act within 60 days to curb illegal dredge and barge operations linked to unlawful gold mining in the Amazon, recommending satellite tracking, verification of environmental licences and tighter coordination among registration, environmental and mining authorities across the nine Amazon states. In August 2026 the MPF filed a criminal complaint in federal court against Selano Trade Reparos Navais Ltda. and PSA Reparos Navais Ltda. for operating a ship‑repair yard in Rio de Janeiro’s Caju port without the required environmental licence from February 2018 to February 2025. ## Claims - MPF filed a criminal complaint against Selano Trade Reparos Navais Ltda and PSA Reparos Navais Ltda for environmental crimes. (corroborated by 8 sources) - The companies operated an unlicensed shipyard in the Caju neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro from February 2018 to February 2025. (corroborated by 8 sources) - They stored and abandoned hazardous waste that reached Guanabara Bay, causing irreversible environmental damage. (corroborated by 8 sources) - MPF seeks a minimum compensation of R$ 1.45 million for the environmental damages. (corroborated by 8 sources) - The compensation amount represents 50 % of the estimated revenue obtained from the illegal operation. (corroborated by 8 sources) - The investigation began after a February 2025 inspection by the State Environment Institute (Inea) with support from the Environmental Protection Police (DPMA). (corroborated by 8 sources) - A forensic report by the Institute of Criminalistics Carlos Éboli confirmed the lack of an environmental licence and identified irregularities in waste management. (corroborated by 8 sources) - The agencies were unable to obtain comment from the companies. (corroborated by 8 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-05: MPF charges naval repair firms for illegal waste dumping in Rio's Guanabara Bay MPF sued Selano Trade and PSA Reparos Navais for operating an unlicensed ship‑repair yard in Rio, dumping hazardous waste into Guanabara Bay and seeking at least R$1.45 million in penalties. 18 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brazils-public-ministry-probes-shipyard-violations ### 2026-07-21: Brazil's Federal Prosecutor Calls for Action on Coastal Sewage and Amazon Dredge Pollution Brazil's Federal Prosecutor asks Paraíba officials to stop sewage dumping into coastal rivers and urges the Navy to act within 60 days against illegal mining dredges in the Amazon, proposing nature‑based fixes, 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brazils-federal-prosecutor-calls-for-action-on-coastal-sewage-and-amazon-dredge-pollution ### 2026-07-08: Brazil federal prosecutors sue Rio Madeira dam operators for fish stock collapse Brazil’s MPF, MPT and DPU sue Santo Antônio and Jirau dams for fish‑stock collapse, seeking R$ 330 million, compensation and a new river‑basin governance board. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cuiab-esporte-clube-faces-mp-proposal-over-illegal-groundwater-extraction --- Cite as: Brazil federal environmental lawsuits. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/brazil-federal-environmental-lawsuits