en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Brazilian National Mining Agency (Agência Nacional de Mineração, ANM) approved a modification to the analysis procedure for mining permit applications in the first week of July 2026. Under the new regulation, when an applicant holds a valid environmental license, the ANM may no longer reject the mining permit application on the grounds of procedural deficiencies.
The Brazilian National Mining Agency (ANM) is a federal regulatory body established by Law No. 13,575 of 2017, under the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME). Its main responsibilities include approving and regulating mining rights, issuing regulatory rules, supervising and inspecting compliance with mining activities, managing resource development operations, and coordinating national mineral exploration and development activities. The Mining Concession (Concessão de Lavra) is the regime applicable to most mineral extraction in Brazil, and its granting is conditional upon the applicant having obtained a valid environmental license from the competent environmental authority.
Previously, when reviewing mining permit applications, the ANM could directly reject an application due to procedural or technical flaws in the application documents, even if the applicant already held a valid environmental license. This caused many projects that had passed environmental assessments to be stalled at the administrative procedure stage. The new regulation requires the ANM to restore technical discretion in its review, conducting a more rigorous and detailed substantive assessment of the application, rather than rejecting it solely based on procedural constraints. This adjustment means that, as long as the applicant holds a valid environmental license, the ANM will prioritize reviewing the technical feasibility and economic viability of the project, rather than rejecting it directly due to document format or procedural details.
The background to this regulatory adjustment is the practical challenges facing Brazil's mining regulatory system. In early 2026, the ANM temporarily suspended mining rights auctions nationwide due to budget and administrative resource issues, affecting the progress of nearly 100,000 mining projects. At the same time, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies is urgently reviewing a draft amendment to the Mining Code, aimed at expanding the ANM's approval authority. Against this backdrop, the ANM, through an internal resolution, adjusted the review standards for mining permits, aiming to streamline administrative procedures and improve approval efficiency.
This modification of mining permit rules by the ANM clarifies the decisive role of a valid environmental license in the mining permit approval process, providing a clearer administrative path for mining projects that have passed environmental assessments. This move is expected to reduce approval delays caused by procedural reasons and accelerate the development process of mining projects in Brazil.
