The Chamber of Deputies approved last Thursday Provisional Measure 809/17 authorizing the Chico Mendes Institute (ICMbio), an organ of the Ministry of the Environment, to select without bidding a public bank to create and manage a fund made up of funds raised through environmental compensation. The matter will be sent to the Senate.
According to information from Agência Câmara de Notícias, the fund will finance federal conservation units, such as national parks, biological reserves and environmental protection areas (APAs). One of the novelties of Senator Jorge Viana’s conversion bill is the permission for services, areas or facilities of federal conservation units to be granted for exploration activities.
In the execution of the funds of the fund, the bank chosen may carry out the actions chosen by the body directly or indirectly, including through a partnership with a regional official bank.
According to ICMbio, the fund will allow the use of approximately R $ 1.2 billion currently retained. Of this total, about R $ 800 million would be allocated to land regularization of conservation units. The rest should be invested in the implementation of the units.
According to the government, the change intends to resolve legal obstacles presented by the Federal Court of Audit (TCU), which considered that there is no legal provision for the indirect execution (payment in cash) of environmental compensation.