Limitations and drawbacks of using Preliminary Environmental Reports (PERs) as an input to Environmental Licensing in Sao Paulo State: A case study on natural gas pipeline routing
- Department of Geography, Faculty of Environmental Studies, 200 University Avenue, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1 (Canada)
- Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Engineering School of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Saocarlense, 400, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, 13566-590 (Brazil)
- Environmental Engineering Science, Engineering School of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Trabalhador Saocarlense, 400, Sao Carlos, Sao Paulo, 13566-590 (Brazil)
This article discusses the limitations and implications to environmental management issues posed by the Environmental Licensing approach adopted in Sao Paulo State. In Brazil, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an essential precondition to the Environmental Licensing of activities and, in fact, it has been the most important and required tool for the licensing of projects. However, in 1994 the State of Sao Paulo implemented a simplified instrument called a 'Preliminary Environmental Report' in order to make the environmental licensing process faster. Since then, the Preliminary Environmental Report (PER) has had the role of indicating whether an EIA needs to be elaborated upon or not. The positives and negatives regarding technical, institutional and legal aspects related to the use of Preliminary Environmental Reports (rather than EIA) are discussed using the case study of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline between the cities of Sao Carlos and Porto Ferreira in the State of Sao Paulo. The main conclusion is that the Environmental Licensing process in Sao Paulo should not use PERs as the sole input to decision making about proposed activities, since the PER approach does not guarantee that the proposed activity is environmentally suitable, does not address locational issues or comparison of alternatives, and risk assessment issues are not considered in the earliest stages of assessment.
- OSTI ID:
- 20972047
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Vol. 27, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.eiar.2006.11.003; PII: S0195-9255(06)00132-6; Copyright (c) 2006 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0195-9255
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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