27/03/2017
After the Fundão’s dam burst, the Germano Complex’s activities had been embargoed and, in October 2016, the unity’s environmental licences were suspended.
In order to restart the operations, Samarco dedicated itself to the elaboration of environmental studies proving the viability of its activities.
The next step will be the protocolization of the studies for evaluation of the SEMAD (The State Secretary for the Environment and the Sustainable Development.)
However, the restart project has to be approved and authorized by some institutions beforewards.
Within them, the conformity cards issued by the municipalities’ prefectures of the Germano operations’ area of influence are eminent.
Following the technical meetings in which the restart proposal was presented to the mayors and the secretaries, the project received the agreement from the municipalities of Mariana, Ouro Preto Catas, Altas e Matipó.
For the moment, only the conformity card from the prefecture of Santa Barbara is still pending. Without this card, the licensing process delays and, consequently, the expectation of restarting the operations for the second half of this year may be compromised.
Understand the Case:
Samarco was abstracting water in Brumal, Santa Barbara district, since 2014, having all the licenses and grants due for this abstraction.
After the Fundão’s dam burst, The Germano Complex licenses were suspended from part of the SEMAD (The State Secretary for the Environment and the Sustainable Development.)
The process for regularization of these permits requires, among other measures, the presentation of a letter of compliance by Samarco to be issued by the Municipality of Santa Bárbara recognizing that the water abstraction is in accordance with the land use and occupation legislation of the Municipality.
Although there was no change in the abstraction system which was already operating with all the necessary licenses and grants, the city of Santa Bárbara requested Samarco to update the self-determination study of the Santa Bárbara River.
The requested document was filed on February 24 and proved that there were no significant impacts caused by Samarco water abstraction system. To grant the letter of compliance, the Municipal Government had been analyzing environmental issues, including compensation, which, under the legislation in force, are Semad’s exclusive competences.
