The challenge of environmental licensing in the municipality of Roca Sales, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

The public administrations are increasingly concerned with preserving the environment.From the Resolution No. 237/97 of the National Council for the Environment, the assessment of local environmental impacts, caused by enterprises, became to be the competence of the municipalities. This study presents the main demands of environmental licensing of local impact in the period of January 2010 to July 2012, in the municipality of Roca Sales / RS. From the analysis of the environmental licensing procedures applied by the municipal Department of Environment technical criteria were established for the licensing activities of environmental of local impact, thereby promoting the sustainability of local properties and making aware entrepreneurs about the importance of using sustainable practices aimed at streamlining the overuse of natural resources. The data were obtained from 522 licenses issued by the municipality. The results show a significant demand for the Operating License and Single License. The data express the interests of the entrepreneurs to regularize the enterprises and the municipal government in acting by inspecting,  licensing and acting in order to educate the population about the  importance of environmental licensing.