Brazil’s Attorney General, Augusto Aras, has questioned relaxed mining licensing rules in the southern state of Santa Catarina. According to a media report, the state simplified and eased part of mining licensing processes.
Among other things, the state exempted from environmental licensing the use of small open pits using certain extracting equipment that doesn’t exceed an annual output of 12,000 cubic meters. Equipment extracting up to 24,000 cubic meters in similar circumstances are also able to get relaxed licensing processes.
The Attorney General said the relaxed measures violate Brazilian’s Federal Constitution, which demands an environmental impact study before any installing activity. The Attorney General filed a lawsuit to annul the state’s measures.