PUBLIC TRANSPARENCY IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING PROCESS: ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION FROM THE WEBSITES OF STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF BRAZIL

Abstract

Public transparency in the environmental licensing process is a fundamental condition for strengthening environmental governance and social control. This study aims to evaluate the degree of availability of information in the environmental licensing process, including the Environmental Impact Study and Report, the EIA Terms of Reference, minutes of public hearings, and licenses, on the websites of the state environmental agencies of the states in the Northern Region of Brazil. This is a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study based on a document analysis of the institutional websites of the seven states in the region. The data were evaluated based on active transparency criteria, classifying the websites into four categories: fully satisfactory, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and fully unsatisfactory. The results indicate a predominance of unsatisfactory practices, with the absence or fragmented availability of essential documents, especially minutes from public hearings. It is concluded that, in light of the theory of public goods, environmental information is not yet treated as effectively public in the Northern Region, which limits social participation and weakens the exercise of social control over environmental decisions.