Brazil's mining regulator streamlining internal procedures

Brazil's mining regulator ANM announced that it is adopting new internal procedures that will likely change and streamline some of its essential duties.

"The initiative is focused on restructuring the inspection units, monitoring mining dams, and granting licenses; as well as creating 'thematic pillars' and 'regional directives', which will be overseen by the agency's leadership," ANM said in a statement.

The changes include the dissolution of the superintendency of mineral ordinance and area availability (SOD), with its responsibilities distributed to the supervision and licensing superintendencies; the transfer of management for mining guidance to the superintendency of licensing mining titles (SOT); and the responsibility for mining heaps being shifted to the dam unit, which becomes the superintendency of geotechnics of dams and mining heaps (SBM).

The new regulatory framework also includes specific changes, such as integrating the user service department (SEAU) into the structure of the ombudsman’s office, creating an advisory portal in the institutional communication advisory (Ascom), and establishing a division for information and communication security within the superintendency of information technology and innovation (STI).

The changes will go into force on August 1.

The internal changes in the regulator, which cover vital areas such as monitoring the safety conditions of tailings dams and assessing the processing and licensing of sector projects, come ss stakeholders have demanded improvements at the ANM. 

The regulator has struggled with having a small number of staff, which means that various internal procedures can be relatively slow. The government has tried to solve the problem by authorizing the hiring of new civil servants at the regulator.