Municipal competence in urban-environmental matters and precautionary measuresCompetencia municipal en materia urbano-ambiental y medidas cautelares

III).- ON THE MERITS: The objection is well-founded. Contrary to what the Municipal Council and, before this Court, its President, attorney Esquivel Jiménez, assert, municipalities not only have constitutional and legal competence in environmental matters, but they are called to play a leading role in the protection of the urban environment and biodiversity. The concept of "State" referred to in the Constitutional Law in Article 50 obligates all public entities—state or otherwise—to use their powers precisely to "...defend and preserve..." the right of "...all inhabitants..." to a "healthy and ecologically balanced environment." Municipalities are non-state public entities but are endowed with imperium powers to fulfill their duties, among which is guaranteeing to their residents—given their corporate basis—that fundamental right, since they are part of the broader group of "...inhabitants of the Republic," to whom the enjoyment of a healthy and balanced environment is guaranteed—without distinction. To guarantee this third-generation fundamental right, local governments must act promptly in the exercise of police power (poder de policía), and inactivity in this field may be subject to oversight both by the contentious-administrative jurisdiction (Article 35.b of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo) and by the criminal jurisdiction (breach of duties). All without prejudice to the pecuniary consequences that may arise from the non-exercise of a public power, if damage is caused (Article 190 et seq. of the Ley General de la Administración Pública). The obligation of public entities—state or otherwise—to protect this fundamental right is reaffirmed by instruments of International Law such as the UNESCO Recommendations concerning the Safeguarding of the Beauty and Character of Landscapes and Sites (1962), the Stockholm Declaration (1972), the Rio Declaration (1992), the World Charter for Nature (1982), the Hague Declaration on the Environment (1989), and, in relation to cultural heritage and architectural heritage, by the International Charter of ICOMOS (1965) and the Quito Standards that develop it (1967); the UNESCO Convention concerning the Safeguarding of Historic Ensembles in Contemporary Life (1976), and the ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas (1987).

IV).- Urban planning law as part of environmental law: To the foregoing, it must be added that the healthy and balanced environment guaranteed by the Constitutional Law includes urban planning matters, entrusted at the local level to the municipalities (Article 169 of the Constitución Política, Article 15 et seq. of the Ley de Planificación Urbana). In this regard, our highest Constitutional Court stated: "Like two sides of the same coin: the natural environment and the urban environment. This is how a more humane environment is sought, that is, an environment that is not only healthy and ecologically balanced, but also serves as a symbolic reference and giver of national, regional, or local identity. Thus, the fundamental right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment—extensively developed by constitutional jurisprudence—will encompass both its natural parts and its artificial parts, the latter being understood as the human habitat, what is built by man, that is, the urban, so that they remain free from all contamination, both due to the effects and repercussions it may have on the health of persons and other living beings, and due to the intrinsic value of the environment." (Voto 2003-03656—the highlighting is not from the original).

The inclusion of the urban aspect as a branch of Environmental Law can also be found in a recent precedent of the First Chamber (Sala Primera) of the Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), which stated, in relevant part, the following: "the notion of property is fully and perfectly amalgamated with the constitutional right to the environment, which the constitutional body proclaims with equal intensity and hierarchy in its provision 50. It is therefore not difficult to infer urban planning regulation as an intermediary between property and the environment, since, after all, it is the gray, regulatory, and building face of this latter subject matter. Environment and urban planning thus constitute areas of Law that, with their limiting role, delimit the precise contour of the property right, that is, its essential content (Res. 000507-F-04)." Without a doubt, alongside the rules that demand the conservation and protection of natural resources, there are the needs of the different economic activities that demand the use and exploitation of environmental assets, which normally occurs with the process of urban development. Within this framework, the obligation arises to pay attention to sustainable urban development, in such a way that the needs of the residents, to whom municipal governments must ensure a healthy and ecologically balanced environment that provides them with well-being, are guaranteed. There is an undeniable national interest, coinciding with the local interest, in that the town councils exercise their police power promptly and opportunely in relation to the rules for protecting the natural environment (protection zones, natural beauty, landscape, biodiversity, etc.) and the urban environment (land uses (usos de suelo), buildability coefficients, facades, architectural heritage, etc.). It must be kept in mind that the inscription of Urban Planning Law as a branch of Environmental Law has very important consequences, as it grants the former an indisputable constitutional rank; consequently, the inactivity of local governments in environmental matters involves the infringement of a fundamental right. The legal provisions that, in development of the constitutional order, grant competence in urban-environmental matters to the municipalities are abundant. In this sense, and without intending to draw up an exhaustive list, one may cite Articles 29 of the Ley de Biodiversidad, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73 of the Ley Orgánica del Ambiente, among many other normative provisions, which amalgamate the urban aspect as part of environmental law, which has a green component (biodiversity) and a gray component (urbanizing process). The possibility of imposing precautionary measures (medidas cautelares) and administrative sanctions on developers who affect the environment is provided for in Article 99 of the Ley Orgánica del Ambiente, which entrusts to the "Public Administration" (including local government) the issuance—without further procedure—of both protective measures—under the precautionary principle—and definitive sanctions—which require compliance with the postulates of due process. Of special interest for the matter in question is the provision of subsection f) of that normative provision, which empowers, among others, the municipal Administration to order the "...partial, total, permanent, or temporary cancellation of the permits, licenses, premises, or companies that cause the complaint, the polluting or destructive act or fact" (the highlighting is not from the original). The Municipal Council of Santa Ana must bear in mind that the imperium powers are non-waivable, non-transferable, and imprescriptible (Article 66 of the LGAP). In the case of precautionary measures—contained in Article 41 of the Constitución Política—no prior procedure is required—as the Municipal Council erroneously maintains—since such a requirement would distort the purposes of the precaution, which is to prevent the consolidation and worsening of urban-environmental damage. A precautionary measure adopted after a prior administrative procedure can be neither prompt nor effective, which shows that the requirement contained in the vetoed agreement is contrary to that norm of the constitutional order. The new Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, currently applicable to administrative procedures carried out at the municipal level, in accordance with the provisions of Article 9 of the Ley General de la Administración Pública, contains a wide range of precautionary measures of a conservative, anticipatory, innovative, etc., nature, and with its provision, the legislator has sought to prevent "...serious harm or damages, current or potential...". Now, the characteristics of instrumentality, provisionality, and proportionality of precautionary measures (Article 22 of the same regulatory body) oblige this Court to indicate that it is necessary for the measure to be supplemented by an ordinary procedure in which it is investigated whether, in the specific case, the scope of the municipal license or authorization was violated or not, which could carry—as a definitive sanction—the withdrawal of the license and even the demolition of the works at the expense of the offender, and, of course, the repair of the damage caused. In this administrative procedure, the postulates of due process must be fully complied with, and the conclusion thereof supposes the extinction of the precautionary measure, which, as permitted by the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, may be ordered before it is initiated or during its processing.

V).- The foregoing does not imply that local governments should not "coordinate" with the bodies of MINAE everything related to the sanctions and precautionary measures adopted in environmental matters, as indicated by the President of the Council and as this Chamber stated in the ruling cited by him. It should be noted that the right to a healthy and balanced environment involves all the inhabitants of the Republic and not only those of a specific canton. The lack of exercise of police power in a given territory, or the improper use thereof, has repercussions in the neighboring canton and impacts the national environmental surroundings, and even those beyond our borders. The piping (entubamiento) of a riverbed and the felling of trees, especially if this occurs within the protection area (área de protección), has undeniable environmental repercussions, both within the territory of the municipality of Santa Ana and in the neighboring cantons that this river traverses; therefore, this type of work must have the corresponding permits that assess the environmental impact (impacto ambiental), an aspect in which the town council must also have broad participation.

VI).- The intervention of local government in environmental matters goes even beyond the exercise of urban planning police power within its territory. In criminal matters, for example, it can report acts it believes may constitute a crime and, as other local governments have already done—by virtue of their corporate basis—they could validly constitute themselves as civil parties in these proceedings, claiming from the offender the environmental damage caused to their residents within their territory, thereby seeking its reparation. Likewise, municipalities may request clarifications and additions to the technical studies prepared by other institutions involved in urban-environmental matters at the national level, such as SENARA, Acueductos y Alcantarillados, SETENA regarding environmental impact assessments (evaluación de impacto ambiental); all without prejudice to the fact that the nullity of these opinions may be requested before the contentious-administrative jurisdiction if the local government considers that they are technically incorrect and should not support an urban planning permit in its territory, since this undoubtedly forms part of the obligation to safeguard local interests." **III).- ON THE MERITS:** The objection is well-founded. Contrary to what the Municipal Council and, before this Tribunal, its President, attorney Esquivel Jiménez, assert, the municipalities not only have constitutional and legal competence in environmental matters, but they are called upon to play a leading role in the protection of the urban environment and biodiversity. The concept of "State" referred to by the Constitution in Article 50 obligates all public entities—state or non-state—to use their powers precisely to "*...defend and preserve...*" the right of "*...all inhabitants...*" to a "*healthy and ecologically balanced environment*". Municipalities are non-state public entities but are endowed with sovereign powers (potestades de imperio) to fulfill their duties, among which is that of guaranteeing to their residents—given their corporate base—that fundamental right, since they are part of the broader group of "*...inhabitants of the Republic*", to whom the enjoyment of a healthy and balanced environment is guaranteed without distinction. To guarantee this third-generation fundamental right, local governments must act in a timely manner in the exercise of police power, and inactivity in this area can be subject to review by both the administrative contentious jurisdiction (Article 35.b) of the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo) and the criminal jurisdiction (breach of duties). All without prejudice to the pecuniary consequences that may arise from the failure to exercise a public power if damage is caused (Article 190 et seq. of the Ley General de la Administración Pública). The obligation of public entities—state or non-state—in protecting this fundamental right is reaffirmed by instruments of International Law such as the UNESCO Recommendations concerning the Protection of the Beauty and Character of Places and Landscapes (1962), the Stockholm Declaration (1972), the Rio Declaration (1992), the World Charter for Nature (1982), the Hague Declaration on the Environment (1989), and, in relation to cultural heritage and architectural heritage, by the ICOMOS International Charter (1965) and the norms of Quito that develop it (1967); the UNESCO Convention concerning the Safeguarding of Historic Ensembles in Contemporary Life (1976), and the ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns (1987). **IV).- Urban planning law as part of environmental law:** To what has been stated, it must be added that the healthy and balanced environment guaranteed by the Constitution includes urban planning matters, entrusted at the local level to the municipalities (Article 169 of the Constitución Política, 15 et seq. of the Ley de Planificación Urbana). In this sense, our highest Constitutional Court ruled by stating: “Like two sides of the same coin: *the natural environment and the urban environment.* This is how a more human environment is intended, that is, an environment that is not only healthy and ecologically balanced, but also a symbolic reference and giver of national, regional, or local identity. ***Thus, the fundamental right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment—widely developed by constitutional jurisprudence—shall comprise both its natural parts and its artificial parts, understanding the latter to mean human habitat, that built by man, i.e., the urban environment, so that they are kept free from all contamination, both due to the effects and repercussions it may have on the health of people and other living beings, and due to the intrinsic value of the environment.***” (Voto 2003-03656—emphasis not from the original).

The inclusion of the urban as an aspect of Environmental Law can also be found in a recent precedent from the Sala Primera of the Corte Suprema de Justicia in which it stated, in what is relevant, the following: “*the notion of property amalgamates in a full and perfect manner with the constitutional right to the environment, which the constitutional body proclaims with equal intensity and hierarchy in its Article 50. ***It is therefore not difficult to infer urban planning regulation as an intermediary between property and the environment, since in the end, it is the grey, regulatory, and constructive reverse side of this latter subject. Environment and urban planning thus constitute areas of Law that, with their limiting role, delimit the precise contour of the property right, that is, its essential content** *(Res. 000507-F-04). Without a doubt, alongside the norms requiring the conservation and protection of natural resources are the needs of different economic activities that demand the use and exploitation of environmental assets, which normally occurs with the urban development process. Within this framework, the obligation arises to pay attention to sustainable urban development, so as to guarantee the needs of the residents to whom municipal governments must provide a healthy and ecologically balanced environment that grants them well-being. There is an undeniable national interest, coinciding with the local one, that local councils (ayuntamientos) exercise their police power promptly and opportunely in relation to the norms for protecting the natural environment (protection zones, natural beauty, landscape, biodiversity, etc.) and the urban environment (land uses (usos de suelo), buildability coefficients, facades, architectural heritage, etc.). It must be kept in mind that the classification of Urban Planning Law as an aspect of Environmental Law has extremely important consequences insofar as it grants the former an indisputable constitutional rank; consequently, the inactivity of local governments in environmental matters involves the infringement of a fundamental right. The legal provisions that, in development of the constitutional order, grant competence to the municipalities in urban-environmental matters are abundant. In this sense, and without intending to produce an exhaustive list, one may cite Articles 29 of the Ley de Biodiversidad, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73 of the Ley Orgánica del Ambiente, among many other regulatory provisions, which amalgamate the urban as part of environmental law, which has a green component (biodiversity) and a grey one (urbanization process). The possibility of imposing interim measures (medidas cautelares) and administrative sanctions on developers who affect the environment is provided for in Article 99 of the Ley Orgánica del Ambiente, which entrusts the "*Public Administration*" (including the local government) with issuing—without further process—both protective measures—precautionary principle—and definitive sanctions—which require compliance with the postulates of due process. Of special interest for the matter consulted is the provision of subsection **f)** of that regulatory provision, which empowers, among others, the Municipal Administration to order the "*...partial, total, permanent, or temporary cancellation of the permits, patents, premises, or businesses that give rise to the complaint, the contaminating or destructive act or fact*" (emphasis not from the original). The new Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, currently applicable to administrative procedures conducted at the municipal level, pursuant to the provisions of Article 9 of the Ley General de la Administración Pública, contains a wide range of interim measures (medidas cautelares) of a conservative, anticipatory, innovative, etc. type, and with its provision the legislator has sought to prevent "*...serious current or potential damages or injuries from occurring...*". However, the characteristics of instrumentality (instrumentalidad), provisionality (provisionalidad), and proportionality (proporcionalidad) of interim measures (medidas cautelares) (Article 22 of the same regulatory body) oblige the Tribunal to indicate that it is necessary for the measure to be complemented by an ordinary proceeding in which it is investigated whether, in the specific case, the scope of the municipal license or authorization was violated or not, which could lead—as a definitive sanction—to the revocation of the license and even the demolition of the works at the expense of the offender, and, of course, to the repair of the damage caused. In this administrative procedure, the postulates of due process must be fully complied with, and the conclusion thereof entails the extinction of the interim measure (medida cautelar), which, as permitted by the Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, may be ordered before the commencement of or during the processing of the same. **V).-** The foregoing does not imply that local governments should not "coordinate" with the bodies of MINAE on everything related to sanctions and interim measures (medidas cautelares) adopted in environmental matters, just as the President of the Council has indicated the Sala has stated in the vote he cited. It must be taken into account that the right to a healthy and balanced environment involves all the inhabitants of the Republic and not only those of a specific canton. The lack of exercise of police power in a specific territory or the improper use thereof has repercussions in the neighboring canton and impacts the national environmental environment and even that beyond our borders. The channeling of a river course and the felling of trees, especially if this occurs in the protection area, has undeniable environmental repercussions, both within the territory of the municipality of Santa Ana and in the neighboring cantons that are crossed by that river; for this reason, this type of works must have the corresponding permits that assess the environmental impact, an aspect in which the local council (ayuntamiento) must also have broad participation. **VI).-** The intervention of the local government in environmental matters even goes beyond the exercise of urban planning police power within its territory. In criminal matters, for example, it may report acts it believes may constitute a crime, and, as other local governments have already done—by virtue of their corporate base—they could validly become civil actors in these proceedings, claiming from the offender the environmental damage caused to its residents within its territory, consequently seeking its repair. Likewise, the municipalities may request clarifications and additions to the technical studies prepared by other institutions involved in urban-environmental matters at the national level, such as the case of Senara, Acueductos y Alcantarillados, SETENA in environmental impact matters; all without prejudice to the fact that the nullity of these opinions may be requested before the administrative contentious jurisdiction, if the local government considers them to be technically incorrect and should not support an urban planning permit in its territory, since without a doubt, this forms part of the obligation to look after local interests." The Municipal Council of Santa Ana must bear in mind that the powers of imperium are inalienable, non-transferable, and imprescriptible (article 66 of the LGAP). In the case of interim measures—contained in numeral 41 of the Political Constitution—no prior procedure is required, as the Municipal Council erroneously maintains, because such a requirement would distort the purposes of the interim measure, which is to prevent the consolidation and aggravation of urban-environmental damage. An interim measure adopted after a prior administrative procedure can be neither prompt nor effective, which shows that the requirement contained in the vetoed agreement is contrary to that norm of the constitutional order. The new Contentious-Administrative Procedure Code, currently applicable to administrative procedures conducted at the municipal level, pursuant to the provisions of numeral 9 of the General Law of Public Administration, contains a broad range of interim measures of a preservative, anticipatory, innovative nature, etc., and by providing for them the legislator has sought to prevent "...serious damage or harm, whether current or potential, from occurring...". Now then, the characteristics of instrumentality, provisionality, and proportionality of interim measures (article 22 of the same regulatory body) oblige the Tribunal to indicate that the measure must be complemented by an ordinary procedure in which it is investigated whether, in the specific case, the scope of the municipal license or authorization was violated, which could entail—as a final sanction—the revocation of the license and even the demolition of the works at the expense of the offender, and, of course, the repair of the damage caused. In this administrative procedure, the postulates of due process must be fully observed, and the conclusion thereof entails the termination of the interim measure, which, as permitted by the Contentious-Administrative Procedure Code, may be ordered before it commences or during its processing. V).- The foregoing does not imply that local governments should not "coordinate" with the bodies of MINAE everything related to the sanctions and interim measures adopted in environmental matters, as the President of the Council has indicated the Sala has stated in the vote he cited. It must be borne in mind that the right to a healthy and balanced environment involves all the inhabitants of the Republic and not only those of a specific canton. The failure to exercise the police power in a given territory or the improper use thereof has repercussions in the neighboring canton and impacts the national environmental surroundings and even that which lies beyond our borders. The piping of a riverbed and the felling of trees, especially if this occurs in the protection area, has undeniable environmental repercussions, both within the territory of the municipality of Santa Ana and in the neighboring cantons crossed by that river; therefore, this type of works must have the corresponding permits that assess the environmental impact, an aspect in which the town council must also have broad participation. VI).- The intervention of the local government in environmental matters goes even beyond the exercise of the urban planning police power within its territory. In criminal matters, for example, it may report acts it believes may constitute a crime, and, as other local governments have already done—by virtue of their corporate base—they could validly become civil parties in these proceedings, claiming from the offender the environmental damage caused to their residents within their territory, thereby seeking the repair thereof. Likewise, the municipalities may request clarifications and additions to the technical studies prepared by other institutions involved in urban-environmental matters at the national level, as is the case with Senara, Acueductos y Alcantarillados, Setena in matters of environmental impact; all of this without prejudice to the possibility of seeking the annulment of these opinions before the contentious-administrative jurisdiction, if the local government considers them technically incorrect and that they should not support an urban planning permit in its territory, for this is undoubtedly part of the obligation to safeguard local interests."

“III).- SOBRE EL FONDO: La objeción es de recibo. De manera contraria a como lo afirma el Concejo Municipal y, ante este Tribunal, su Presidente, el abogado Esquivel Jiménez, las municipalidades no solo tienen competencia constitucional y legal en materia ambiental, sino que, están llamadas a tener un papel protagonico en la protección del entorno urbano y de la biodiversidad. El concepto "Estado" a que se refiere el Derecho de la Constitución en el numeral 50, obliga a todos los entes públicos -estatales o no- al uso de sus potestades para, precisamente, "...defender y preservar.." el derecho de "...todos lo habitantes..." a un "ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado". Las municipalidades son entes públicos no estatales pero dotadas de potestades de imperio para el cumplimiento de sus cometidos, dentro de los cuales está el de garantizar a sus munícipes -dada su base corporativa- aquel derecho fundamental, pues ellos hacen parte del conjunto más amplio de "...habitantes de la República", a los que se les garantiza -sin distingo- el disfrute de un ambiente sano y equilibrado. Para garantizar este derecho fundamental de tercera generación, los gobiernos locales deben actuar oportunamente en el ejercicio del poder de policía y, la inactividad en este campo puede ser controlable tanto por la jurisdicción contencioso administrativa (artículo 35.b) del Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo), como por la penal (incumplimiento de deberes). Todo sin perjuicio de las consecuencias pecuniarias que pueden derivar del no ejercicio de una potestad pública, si se causa un daño (artículo 190 y siguientes de la Ley General de la Administración Pública). La obligación de los entes públicos -estatales o no- en la protección de este derecho fundamental, viene reafirmada por instrumentos de Derecho Internacional tales como las recomendaciones de la UNESCO Relativas a la Protección de las Bellezas y del Carácter de los Lugares y Paisajes (1962), la Declaración de Estocolmo (1972), la Declaración de Río (1992), la Carta Mundial de la Naturaleza (1982), la Declaración de la Haya Sobre Medio Ambiente (1989) y, en relación con la herencia cultural y el patrimonio arquitectónico, por la Carta Internacional de ICOMOS (1965) y las normas de Quito que la desarrollan (1967); la Convención de la Unesco relativa a la Salvaguardia de los Conjuntos Históricos en la vida contemporánea (1976) y la Carta ICOMOS para la protección de las ciudades históricas (1987). IV).- Derecho urbanístico parte del derecho ambiental: A lo indicado debe agregarse que, el ambiente sano y equilibrado que garantiza el Derecho de la Constitución incluye la materia urbanística, encomendada a nivel local a las municipalidades (artículo 169 de la Constitución Política, 15 y siguientes de la Ley de Planificación Urbana). En este sentido se pronunció nuestro máximo Tribunal Constitucional al indicar: “Como las dos caras de una misma moneda: el ambiente natural y el ambiente urbano. Es así como se pretende un ambiente más humano, es decir, un ambiente que no sólo sea sano y ecológicamente equilibrado, sino también como un referente simbólico y dador de identidad nacional, regional o local. Así, el derecho fundamental a tener un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado -desarrollado ampliamente por la jurisprudencia constitucional- comprenderá, tanto sus partes naturales, como sus partes artificiales, entendiéndose por tales, el habitad humano, lo construido por el hombre, sea, lo urbano, de manera que se mantengan libres de toda contaminación, tanto por los efectos y repercusiones que puede tener en la salud de las personas y demás seres vivientes, como por el valor intrínseco del ambiente.” (Voto 2003-03656-el destacado no es del original).

La inclusión de lo urbano como vertiente del Derecho ambiental, también puede encontrarse en un reciente precedente de la Sala Primera de la Corte Suprema de Justicia en que señaló, en lo de interés, lo siguiente: “la noción de propiedad se amalgama de manera plena y perfecta con el derecho constitucional al medio ambiente, que con igual intensidad y jerarquía, proclama el cuerpo constitucional en su precepto 50. Por ello no es difícil inferir la regulación urbanística como intermedia entre propiedad y ambiente, pues al fin y al cabo, es el anverso gris, ordenatorio y edificativo de esta última materia. Ambiente y urbanismo se constituyen así en áreas del Derecho que con su rol limitante, delimitan el contorno preciso del derecho de propiedad, es decir, su contenido esencial(Res. 000507-F-04) Sin duda alguna, a la par de las normas que exigen la conservación y protección de los recursos naturales, están las necesidades de las diferentes actividades económicas que demandan el uso y la explotación de bienes ambientales, lo que normalmente ocurre con el proceso de desarrollo urbano. Dentro de este marco, surge la obligación de poner atención al desarrollo urbano sostenible, de manera que, se garanticen las necesidades de los munícipes a los que los gobiernos municipales deben procurarle un ambiente sano y ecológicamente equilibrado que les otorgue bienestar. Existe un innegable interés nacional, coincidente con el local, en que los ayuntamientos ejerzan pronta y oportunamente su poder de policía en relación con las normas de protección del entorno natural (zonas de protección, belleza natural, paisajística, biodiversidad, etc) y urbano (usos de suelo, coeficientes de edificabilidad, fachadas, patrimonio arquitectónico, etc). Debe tenerse presente que, la inscripción del Derecho Urbanístico como vertiente del Derecho Ambiental tiene consecuencias importantísimas en tanto le otorga al primero un indiscutible rango constitucional, consiguientemente, la inactividad de los gobiernos local en materia ambiental involucra la lesión a un derecho fundamental. Las disposiciones legales que, en desarrollo del orden constitucional otorgan competencia en materia urbano-ambiental a las municipalidades, son abundantes. En este sentido y, sin ánimo de elaborar una lista taxativa, pueden citarse los artículos 29 de la Ley de Biodiversidad, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 68, 69, 70, 72, 73 de la Ley Orgánica del Ambiente, entre otras muchas disposiciones normativas, que amalgaman lo urbano como parte del derecho ambiental el que tiene un componente verde (biodiversidad) y otro gris (proceso urbanizador). La posibilidad de imponer medidas cautelares y sanciones administrativas a los proyectistas que afecten el ambiente, está prevista en el artículo 99 de la Ley Orgánica del Ambiente que encomienda a la "Administración Pública" (incluido el gobierno local) el dictado -sin más trámite-, tanto de medidas protectoras -principio precautorio- como sanciones definitivas -que requieren del cumplimiento de los postulados del debido proceso-. De especial interés para lo consultado resulta lo dispuesto por el numeral f) de esa disposición normativa, en que se faculta, entre otras, a la Administración municipal para ordenar la "....cancelación parcial, total, permanente o temporal, de los permisos, las patentes, los locales o las empresas que provocan la denuncia, el acto o el hecho contaminante o destructivo" (el destacado no es del original). Debe tener presente el Concejo Municipal de Santa Ana que, las potestades de imperio son irrenunciables, intransmisibles e imprescriptibles (artículo 66 de la LGAP). Tratándose de medidas cautelares -contenidas en el numeral 41 de la Constitución Política- no se requiere -como erradamente lo sostiene el Concejo Municipal-, de ningún procedimiento previo, pues tal exigencia desnaturalizaría las finalidades de la cautela, que es evitar la consolidación y el agravamiento del daño urbano-ambiental. Ni pronta ni cumplida puede ser una medida cautelar que se adopte luego de un procedimiento administrativo previo, lo que evidencia que la exigencia contenida en el acuerdo vetado resulta contraria a aquella norma del orden constitucional. El nuevo Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, aplicable actualmente a los procedimientos administrativos desarrollados en sede municipal, al tenor de lo establecido en el numeral 9 de la Ley General de la Administración Pública, contiene una amplia gama de medidas cautelares de tipo conservativas, anticipativas, innovativas etc. y con su previsión el legislador ha buscado evitar que "...se produzcan graves daños o perjuicios, actuales o potenciales...". Ahora bien, las característica de instrumentalidad, provisionalidad y proporcionalidad de las medidas cautelares (artículo 22 del mismo cuerpo normativo), obliga al Tribunal a indicar que, es necesario que la medida se complemente con un procedimiento ordinario en el que se investigue si, en el caso concreto, se violaron o no los alcances de la licencia o autorización municipal, lo que podría conllevar -como sanción definitiva- el retiro de la licencia y hasta la demolición de las obras con cargo al infractor, y, desde luego, a la reparación del daño causado. En este procedimiento administrativo, deben cumplirse a cabalidad los postulados del debido proceso y, el término del mismo supone la extinción de la medida cautelar, la que según lo permite el Código Procesal Contencioso Administrativo, puede ordenarse antes de iniciado o durante la tramitación del mismo. V).- No implica lo dicho, que los gobiernos locales no deben "coordinar" con los órganos del MINAE todo lo relacionado con las sanciones y medidas cautelares adoptadas en materia ambiental, tal y como lo señala el Presidente del Concejo lo ha indicado la Sala en el voto por él citado. Téngase en cuenta que el derecho a tener un ambiente sano y equilibrado involucra a todos los habitantes de la República y no solo a los de un determinado cantón. La falta del ejercicio del poder de policía en determinado territorio o el uso indebido del mismo, tiene repercusiones en el cantón vecino e impacta el entorno ambiental nacional e inclusive aquél ayende a nuestras fronteras. El entubamiento del cause de un río y el derribo de árboles, especialmente si este se produce en el área de protección, tiene indudables repercusiones ambientales, tanto dentro del territorio de la municipalidad de Santa Ana, como de los cantones vecinos que son atravesados por ese río, por ello, este tipo de obras debe contar con los correspondientes permisos que valoren el impacto ambiental, aspecto en el que también debe tener una amplia participación el ayuntamiento. VI).- La intervención del gobierno local en materia ambiental, va incluso más allá del ejercicio del poder de policía urbanístico dentro de su territorio. En materia penal, por ejemplo, puede denunciar los actos que estima puedan constituir delito y, tal y como ya lo han hecho otros gobiernos locales -merced a su base corporativa- podrían válidamente constituirse en actores civiles en estos procesos, reclamando al infractor el daño ambiental causado a sus munícipes dentro de sus territorio, buscando en consecuencia la reparación del mismo. De igual manera, pueden las municipalidades requerir aclaraciones y adiciones a los estudios técnicos que elaboren otras instituciones involucradas en la materia urbano-ambiental a nivel nacional, como es el caso del Senara, Acueductos y Alcantarillados, la Setena en materia de impacto ambiental; todo ello sin perjuicio, de que se pueda pedir la nulidad de estos dictámenes ante la jurisdicción contencioso administrativa, si el gobierno local estima que son técnicamente incorrectos y no deben sustentar un permiso urbanístico en su territorio, pues sin duda alguna, eso hace parte de la obligación de velar por los intereses locales.”