The environmental association Quercus considers the diploma called “Environmental Simplex” an “unprecedented setback in the process of Environmental Impact Assessment” (EIA).
The “Environmental Simplex” was approved by the Council of Ministers on July 21 and includes, among other measures, the completion of the EIA for wind and solar farms with certain measures, the modernization of railway lines or subdivision projects, and the waiver of licenses for the reuse of treated wastewater.
The decree-law, according to the Government, aims to simplify administrative procedures in environmental matters and reduce bureaucracy for companies. The public consultation of the diploma ended on Friday.
In a statement released this Saturday, Quercus considers that the “Simple environmental” will be, in the medium and long term, “disastrous for the territory and for the populations at the environmental and public health levels and, ultimately, even for the objectives that intends to promote.” .
In the statement, Quercus considers that the Government diploma ignores the cumulative impacts of certain actions and the valuations are processed as “mere sums of effluent discharges.”
Then, “it facilitates the granting of licenses for railways, energy production units and distribution networks, seeking to make up for the delays in these matters, forgetting that this cannot be achieved by sacrificing one of the basic pillars of sustainability, which is the environment”, says the Association company.
Quercus is also against the exemption from the AIA in relation to wind and photovoltaic plants, based on their size, a criticism that the environmental association Geota had also made on Friday.
In the statement, the association also opposes the elimination of procedures for obtaining licenses and permits.
The reasonableness of the measures in the face of the growing need to protect environmental values, natural resources and the health and quality of life of the populations, “is practically non-existent and cannot be decarbonization, the energy deficit, or the costs of energy. ”. production the pretexts for its application”, accuses Quercus.
In fact, he adds, the “Simplex” measures will lead to an increase in polluting emissions and also to an increased risk of contaminating natural resources.
Source: Observadora
