Lula sanctions the 'Devastation Bill' with 63 vetoes and promises a new proposal to mitigate the damage.

President Lula (Workers' Party) signed into law Bill 2.159/2021 on Friday, the 8th, the so-called General Environmental Licensing Law, but blocked 63 of the approximately 400 provisions approved by Congress. To offset some of the cuts, the Planalto Palace promises to send an "emergency" bill to the Legislature.

The government says the vetoes aim to protect the environment, guarantee legal certainty for projects, and ensure the rights of indigenous communities, while also speeding up licensing.

“These vetoes guarantee environmental preservation and legal security,” stated the Minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication, Sidônio Palmeira .

Environment Minister Marina Silva emphasized that the priority was to veto strategic points and preserve the participation of traditional communities — especially indigenous and quilombola communities — in the decisions.

Business entities linked to industry, agribusiness, and mining called for the bill's full approval, arguing that the current system is slow and bureaucratic. Meanwhile, NGOs and experts advocated for a complete veto of the bill —dubbed the "Devastation Bill" —arguing that the proposal creates "regulatory chaos" that would favor entrepreneurs' self-declaration and weaken oversight.

What changes

Regarding the controversial License by Adhesion and Commitment (LAC), the government vetoed the section that would allow its use in projects with medium polluting potential, restricting the application of the LAC to cases of low environmental impact.

Regarding the Atlantic Forest, the government vetoed provisions that revoked the requirement for environmental authorization to suppress areas undergoing regeneration, without presenting alternative text, signaling the importance of protecting the biome.

Marcos Rogério , Special Secretary for Legal Affairs of the Civil House, clarified that of the 63 vetoes, 26 are simple vetoes and 37 will have alternative wording presented by the government. Furthermore, ten sanctioned provisions will also undergo revisions through new wording.