(Reuters) – Brazil’s lower house of Congress approved late on Wednesday a bill that curtails the powers of the ministries of the environment and Indigenous affairs.
The approval marks a further setback for Lula’s environmental agenda, which was also handed a defeat on Tuesday when lawmakers passed a bill that limited the recognition of new Indigenous reservations.
The bill on Wednesday passed with 337 in favor to 125 against and was sent to the Senate, which must approve it on Thursday, or it will expire.
In the approved bill, lawmakers removed land decisions from the Indigenous affairs ministry, while the registry of rural land, a vital tool to stop deforestation, will be managed by the agriculture and not the environment ministry.
(Reporting by Peter Frontini and Carolina Pulice; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
