A Minas Gerais state regulation has allowed the city of Brumadinho to have the power to decide on mining licenses. A media report this week said the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has transferred part of its role as a regulator to Brumadinho, where Vale’s iron ore dam collapse killed 270 people.
According to the regulation, big projects with that pose major social and environmental challenges must be approved by the city’s environment department.
Generally speaking, bigger projects were approved by the state, however, in the case of Brumadinho city, the aim is to speed up the licensing process of mining and iron ore projects.
Under the terms of the regulation, Brumadinho city will now license projects listed within the class 1 up to class 6. These classes define the environmental impact of a project, with 6 being projects of bigger impact.