The role of river basin committee of Baixada Santista in the process of environmental licensing with environmental impact assessment

• Grant number: 17/26903-8
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): March 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal researcher: Pilar Carolina Villar
• Grantee: Pedro Augusto Gonçalves Ostanik
• Home Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In the state of São Paulo, the environmental licensing is an important instrument to promote the integration of environmental and water policies. The Resolution SMA nº 54/2008 establishes that the process of environmental licensing instructed by Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and its report (REIA) requires the expression of the basin committee when there is an impact over water resources. The Deliberation CRH 87/2008 has regulated how the River Basin Committees (RBCs) should pronounce on this declaration about the EIA/REIA forwarded by CETESB. The research hypothesis is that the manifestation of HBCs in this process contributes to the protection of environmental resources and services in the basin, especially in the coastal areas, like the case of Baixada Santista. So, the goal of this work is to analyze how the basin committee of Baixada Santista (RBC-BS) has manifested in the process of environmental licensing with EIA/REIA in the period of 2013 to 2017. The choice of Baixada Santista is justified because of its natural and social vulnerability, its economic role and the presence of large infrastructures. The methodology used is the case study and the documental analysis of literature, EIAs/REIAs, legislation and the manifestation of RBC-BS. The data from EIA/REIA will be classified by categories: type of enterprise; requester; licensing organ; city of the enterprise; proposed conditions; and deadline of decision. This analysis intends to answer how the RBC-BS uses its legal prerogative and if its manifestation in the process of licensing is a pure formality act or a real opportunity to promote integrated water resources management. (AU)