He Executive power has welcomed a private initiative so that the functions of the National Water Authority (ANA), the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sernanp) and the National Forest Service (Serfor) are “absorbed” by the National Service Environmental Certification for Sustainable Investments (Senace), something that, in practice, would mean its disappearance.
The president of the National Society of Mining, Petroleum and Energy (SNMPE), Víctor Gobitz, explained that the annexation does not seek to reduce the rigor with which environmental certifications are issued, but to concentrate guidelines and professionals in a single governing body that streamlines projects investment in mining, hydrocarbons and infrastructure, among others.
The proposal, which has not reached consensus within the cabinet, but which has the approval of Prime Minister Alberto Otárola, also proposes that Senace leave the Ministry of the Environment (Minam) and become directly dependent on the PCMwhere you will have more budget.
Thus, the SNMPE seeks to empower and change the name of Senace to moderate the number of environmental blemishes – which can reach 500 or 700 per project – and provide investors with greater predictability.
“The idea is that Senace reports to PCM because it must respond to a country vision and have the ability to be flexible with its budget. If you put it below one ministry, the other ministries are even. Instead, if you put it in PCM, you’re accomplishing something else,” Gobitz said.
Private initiative proposes that Sernanp, ANA and Serfor be absorbed by Senace. Photo: diffusion
environmental dispersion
Consulted by La República, the It is born rejected the unification and clarified that there are already coordinated institutional efforts to “optimize compliance with technical opinion deadlines” through the Inter-Institutional Coordination Strategy-ECI, which brings together Senace, ANA, Serfor and Sernanp. Said table already registers four meetings in the year.
“To do otherwise would be to weaken the environmental and sustainability approach. Senace is interested in the project holders making an effort to present solid environmental management instruments that Help speed up the proceedings”, he sent.
But the bureaucracy is not discussed. Jaime Borda, executive secretary of Red Muqui, acknowledges that there is an insufficient budget and a wide dispersion of criteria that can triple the time it takes to issue certifications in Peruwhen compared to other countries.
However, he doubts that this merger can expedite the processes and, instead, he considers that the institutionality of organizations that “have their own powers and complement each other” would be affected. At this point, he points out that more resources are needed for direct work in the areas of influence, such as the one carried out by the ANA.
“Many of the socio-environmental conflicts registered by the Ombudsman have to do with relationship problems with local populations, who feel that their voice is not heard and, on the contrary, the interest of private investors is prioritized,” he accuses.
Senace: delay in the eye of the storm
Last April, Joanna Fischer, CEO of the It is bornaccepted for La República that a modification of the detailed Environmental Impact Study (EIAd) You can increase your term of 120 business days six times.
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alex Contreras, said in June that his office is working to reduce 21 procedures related to environmental certification. Consulted by this newspaper, MEF could not explain how many progress has been made.
Peru’s mining investment portfolio (US$53.715 million) is still lower than that of Chile (US$73,655 million), according to the Mining Investment Guide 2023/2024. But the delay in certification of both countries today is equal, clarifies the SNMPE.
reactions
Víctor Gobitz, president of the SNMPE
“Senace does not synthesize, it only compiles observations from other institutions, each with its own vision. That costs us time in a country where the investor needs work and predictability”.
Jaime Borda, Red Muqui Executive Sec.
“The bottom line is that these mining companies want to see the environmental license as a mere administrative permit. We welcome mining, but not how it is or where it is”.
Source: Larepublica
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