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  • Environmental Policy Reborn in Rio?

    Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

    If you believe Governor Cabral and Environment Secretary Ramos, environmental policy in the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) just underwent a rebirth.  At the inaugural ceremony for the new State Environment Institute (INEA), Governor Cabral declared that henceforth RJ will have an environmental policy with less bureaucracy, greater agility and technical rigor. To refresh […]

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    Minas Seeks to Lead in Environmental Policy / Minas Pretende Ser Lider na Política Ambiental

    Monday, December 29th, 2008

    Minas Gerais is seeking to take the lead among Brazilian states in environmental protection, and they want everyone to know it!  [Look out, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo!]  At year-end the state environment secretary José Carlos Carvalho released a report card on mineiro environment policy achievements and plans for 2009.  He particularly […]

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    Minas Gets Tough on Environmental Enforcement

    Thursday, August 28th, 2008

    Last year I blogged about how the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais was giving its environment inspectors the digital tools they need to make their jobs easier. Since then I have kept one eye on Minas and the inspectors of its State Environment System (Sisema), not only because of the changes in enforcement that they […]

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    Using Steel Waste as Fertilizer?

    Monday, June 9th, 2008

    Synopsis in English: The Environmental Policy Council (Copam) of the state with the bulk of Brazil’s iron and steel manufacturing capacity, Minas Gerais, recently ruled [via what they call a binding “Normative Deliberation” (Deliberação Normativa- DN)] that certain iron and steel making wastes can be utilized as fertilizer in eucalyptus plantations in that state. Certain […]

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    Now That’s Quick Reform!

    Monday, September 17th, 2007

    When proposing new environmental governing machinery, it helps to have old friends in the legislature. It also helps when people have agreed for years that the machinery urgently needs an overhaul. The State Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (ALERJ) has approved in record time the executive branch’s recently proposed reform. The force behind the proposal, […]

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    Recovery of the Forests of the Rio Doce Basin

    Saturday, September 15th, 2007

    Synopsis in English: The government of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais (MG), represented by the Environment Secretary (SEMAD) and the Director-General of the State Forestry Institute (IEF), signed a 3-year agreement (with option to renew) with a nonoprofit that works to preserve and recover the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), the Earth Institute (Instituto Terra), […]

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    Digitizing Environmental Enforcement

    Saturday, August 4th, 2007

    Minas Gerais is moving to accomplish something no other Brazilian state — or probably any Latin American/ Caribbean (LAC) nation, for that matter — has yet done: digitize its environmental inspection and enforcement. Currently Minas is winding up a pilot project in which its 21 waste and sanitation inspectors do much of their work utilizing […]

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    CVRD to Help Rescue Ilha Grande

    Friday, July 6th, 2007

    Last month the State Forestry Institute (IEF) of Rio de Janeiro and the huge Brazilian mining and minerals conglomerate Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD), with the participation of the Municipality of Angra dos Reis, signed a cooperation agreement for the recovery of degraded areas in the State Park of Big Island (Parque Estadual de […]

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    Reforming Rio’s Environmental Governing Machinery

    Thursday, June 21st, 2007

    Synopsis in English: The governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) has sent to the State Assembly (ALERJ) a bill to create am single agency — State Environment Institute (INEA) — to handle most implementation and enforcement matters involving environmental protection and management of the state’s water resources. The agency would combine the […]

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