Semas holds environmental conciliation mutirão in Belém, Marabá, and Redenção

The State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability (Semas) started, on this Monday (2), an Environmental Conciliation Mutirão in Belém. The program includes the municipalities of Marabá and Redenção throughout the month of June. The action aims to establish agreements to facilitate the payment of pending environmental fines, thus concluding administrative processes consensually.

In Belém, the event will take place from June 2 to 6, at the Semas headquarters, located at Travessa Lomas Valentinas, No. 2717, Marco neighborhood, from 8:30 AM to 3 PM.

In the municipality of Marabá, in southeastern Pará, the mutirão will be held on June 23 and 24, at the Semas Regional Office, located at Avenida Itacaiúnas, No. 1412 - Novo Horizonte, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

In Redenção, the program will take place on June 26 and 27, at the Semas Regional Office, Rua Gerudes Gomes. Lt. 12, Qd. 37 - Room B - Urban Center, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

The initiative, coordinated by the Environmental Conciliation Center (Nucam), aims at the legal resolution of the process, offering discounts for the regularization of pending issues due to environmental infractions, through payment in full, in installments, or by joining fine conversion projects. The funds raised will be invested in improving environmental inspection services, and consequently, in reducing environmental crimes in the State.

"The environmental conciliation mutirão carried out by Semas is an excellent opportunity to establish agreements quickly with the offer of discounts, in order to eliminate environmental liabilities, as well as to contribute to the preservation of the environment and ensure social responsibility," highlighted Isabelle Cruz, Coordinator of the Environmental Conciliation Center (Nucam).

The negotiated fines are related to processes judged by the Administrative Resources Tribunal (TRA) of Semas, the final instance for administrative appeals regarding environmental infractions. The TRA plays a fundamental role in the application of penalties. The mutirão is an opportunity for fines to be resolved.

How to participate - Interested parties must attend the service locations carrying their Individual Taxpayer Registration (CPF), General Registration (RG), and the notice of infraction. If represented by attorneys, a specific power of attorney for environmental conciliation must be presented, accompanied by the personal documents of the representative. Conciliation can also be conducted online. To do so, the request must be sent to the email: [email protected].

The environmental conciliation process applies exclusively to simple fines, whose value is defined in Standard Fiscal Unit (UPF/PA) or in reais, as established in the legal opinion or in the notices of infraction issued after the promulgation of Law 9.575/2022. Thus, discounts and negotiations are valid only for simple fines resulting from environmental infractions.

Discounts - State Decree 2.856/2023 establishes the following discount percentages on the value of the simple fine applied by the state environmental agency, according to the timing of the expression of interest in conciliation:

– 50% when the expression occurs within the deadline for presenting a defense;

– 45% when it occurs after the deadline for defense, and up to the first-instance decision – if a defense has been filed by the fined party;

– 40% when it occurs after the notification of passive processes;

– 35% when it occurs after the first-instance decision and up to the second-instance decision;

– 30% for installment payment of the debt, plus the due monetary correction by the reference rate of the Special System for Settlement and Custody (Selic).

Text: Mário Gouveia - Ascom Semas