Public hearings and social participation: preliminary notes on the environmental licensing of the Calheiros SHP, on the Itabapoana river, Brazil (in Portuguese)

In Brazil, as of Resolution 001/1986 of the National Environment Council (CONAMA), the public hearing becomes a tool that allows society to participate in the environmental licensing process, at which time the results of the Environmental Impact Study and the population can answer questions and make contributions. However, there is a gap between the audience’s prerogatives and what actually happens in practice. In this sense, this article aims to discuss the importance of popular participation in the Environmental Impact Assessment process, based on an analysis of the minutes of public hearings carried out during the licensing of the Calheiros Small Hydro-energy Plant (SHP), located on the Itabapoana River, in the south-eastern region of Brazil. 48 questions were analyzed, which indicate a lack of knowledge about basic project information and the content of environmental studies, such as the impacts generated by the construction of the project and the mitigating measures that will be adopted.