Extension for Compliance of Environmental Permits in Guatemala
One of the most important sectors of the economy of Guatemala is the environment and its natural resources. For that reason the Government of Guatemala through Governmental Agreement 137-2016 issued the Regulation of Environmental Evaluation, Control and Monitoring.
The Regulation of Environmental Evaluation, Control and Monitoring has as objective to establish the necessary guidelines, structure and procedures to support the sustainable development of the country in environmental matters. Within the regulation are the rules for the use of instruments and guides that facilitate the environmental evaluation, control monitoring of the projects, works, industries and activities to be developed or in process of development. The entity in charge of the aforementioned is the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, through the Directorate of Environment and Natural Resources.
Within the cited Regulation was established a deadline for the processing of compliance of environmental guidelines, which expired on July eleven (11) of the current year, for which the Government of Guatemala, through Governmental Agreement 121-2018, modified the term for the regularization process of projects, works, industries and activities already existing, establishing an extension of two years, expiring on January 3rd, 2020. Besides modifying the deadline, it was also created a list of projects, works, industries and activities in order to create a technical-descriptive base to categorize them in a proper way.
The purpose of the Government of Guatemala with this kind of norms is to promote the correct compliance of the existing environmental regulation, furthermore it contributes to generate adequate indicators of an important sector of which depends the economy of Guatemala.
José Rosales Cano
Associate
García & Bodán
Guatemala