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Decreto 37460 · 28/11/2012
OutcomeResultado
SummaryResumen
Executive Decree 37460-MINAET-MP, issued by the Executive Branch and in force since September 12, 2013, establishes the procedure for filming, registration, custody, reproduction, and delivery of audiovisual material generated during operations of the Forest Judicial Police of the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Telecommunications (MINAET). The regulation governs the use of audiovisual equipment in forestry police investigations, ensuring the chain of custody and the integrity of evidence. It defines the responsibilities of officials, from capturing images to their subsequent use as evidence in administrative or judicial proceedings. The decree aims to strengthen transparency and effectiveness in the investigation of crimes and infractions against forest resources, providing a clear regulatory framework for handling this type of digital evidence.El Decreto Ejecutivo 37460-MINAET-MP, emitido por el Poder Ejecutivo y vigente desde el 12 de setiembre de 2013, establece el procedimiento para la filmación, registro, custodia, reproducción y entrega del material audiovisual generado durante las operaciones de la Policía Judicial Forestal del Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones (MINAET). La norma regula el uso de equipos audiovisuales en procedimientos de investigación policial en materia forestal, asegurando la cadena de custodia y la integridad de la evidencia. Define las responsabilidades de los funcionarios encargados, desde la captura de las imágenes hasta su posterior utilización como prueba en procesos administrativos o judiciales. El decreto busca fortalecer la transparencia y la eficacia de las investigaciones por delitos e infracciones contra los recursos forestales, proporcionando un marco normativo claro para el manejo de este tipo de evidencia digital.
Key excerptExtracto clave
Article 1—Purpose. The purpose of this decree is to establish the procedure for filming, registration, custody, reproduction, and delivery of audiovisual material generated by the Forest Judicial Police of the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Telecommunications (MINAET) during the performance of its operations. Article 2—Scope of application. The provisions of this regulation shall be mandatory for all officials of the MINAET Forest Judicial Police who, in the performance of their duties, use audiovisual equipment to record police investigation procedures they conduct. Article 6—Chain of custody. Once the recording is completed, officials must follow the procedures established for the chain of custody, in order to guarantee the integrity of the audiovisual material obtained.Artículo 1º—Objeto. El presente decreto tiene por objeto establecer el procedimiento para la filmación, registro, custodia, reproducción y entrega del material audiovisual que genere la Policía Judicial Forestal del Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones (MINAET), durante la realización de sus operaciones. Artículo 2º—Ámbito de aplicación. Las disposiciones del presente reglamento serán de acatamiento obligatorio para todos los funcionarios de la Policía Judicial Forestal del MINAET que, en el desempeño de sus funciones, utilicen equipos audiovisuales para el registro de los procedimientos de investigación policial que realicen. Artículo 6º—Cadena de custodia. Una vez finalizada la grabación, los funcionarios deberán observar los procedimientos establecidos para la cadena de custodia, a fin de garantizar la integridad del material audiovisual obtenido.
Pull quotesCitas destacadas
"Artículo 1º—Objeto. El presente decreto tiene por objeto establecer el procedimiento para la filmación, registro, custodia, reproducción y entrega del material audiovisual que genere la Policía Judicial Forestal del Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones (MINAET), durante la realización de sus operaciones."
"Article 1—Purpose. The purpose of this decree is to establish the procedure for filming, registration, custody, reproduction, and delivery of audiovisual material generated by the Forest Judicial Police of the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Telecommunications (MINAET) during the performance of its operations."
Artículo 1
"Artículo 1º—Objeto. El presente decreto tiene por objeto establecer el procedimiento para la filmación, registro, custodia, reproducción y entrega del material audiovisual que genere la Policía Judicial Forestal del Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones (MINAET), durante la realización de sus operaciones."
Artículo 1
"Artículo 6º—Cadena de custodia. Una vez finalizada la grabación, los funcionarios deberán observar los procedimientos establecidos para la cadena de custodia, a fin de garantizar la integridad del material audiovisual obtenido."
"Article 6—Chain of custody. Once the recording is completed, officials must follow the procedures established for the chain of custody, in order to guarantee the integrity of the audiovisual material obtained."
Artículo 6
"Artículo 6º—Cadena de custodia. Una vez finalizada la grabación, los funcionarios deberán observar los procedimientos establecidos para la cadena de custodia, a fin de garantizar la integridad del material audiovisual obtenido."
Artículo 6
Full documentDocumento completo
N° 37460-S-MINAE THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AND THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Pursuant to the powers conferred by Articles 140, paragraphs 3) and 18) and 146 of the Political Constitution; Articles 27.1 and 28.2.b) of the General Public Administration Act, Law 6227 of 2 May 1978; the Organic Law of the Environment, Law 7554 of 4 October 1995; the Forestry Law (Ley Forestal), Law 7575 of 13 February 1996, and its Regulations, Executive Decree (Decreto Ejecutivo) 25721-MINAE of 17 October 1996; Law of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), Law 10005 of 17 September 2019; Law for the Management of Industrial and Hazardous Waste, Law 8839 of 24 June 2010; and Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC of 28 June 2004, Regulation of the Environmental Canon for Dumping (Reglamento del Canon Ambiental por Vertidos).
I. —That the Constitution recognizes the right of all persons to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, and therefore it is the State's duty to guarantee, defend, and preserve that right.
II. —That the Organic Law of the Environment establishes the State’s obligation to ensure the rational use of environmental elements and to promote the development of environmental impact assessment (evaluación de impacto ambiental, EIA) as an instrument for making decisions regarding activities that may significantly affect the environment.
III. —That Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC of 28 June 2004, “Regulation of the Environmental Canon for Dumping,” issued by the President of the Republic, the Minister of Environment and Energy, the Minister of Public Works and Transport, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, and the Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, establishes the basic guidelines for the application of the environmental canon for dumping, in accordance with the principle that whoever pollutes pays.
IV. —That it is necessary to regulate the procedure for the technical environmental evaluation (evaluación ambiental técnica) and the administrative procedure for activities, works, or projects that require an environmental viability license (licencia de viabilidad ambiental) from the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, SETENA), in order to provide legal certainty and streamline the processing of applications.
V. —That the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA) requires an updated regulatory framework that allows it to exercise its functions of evaluation and environmental control efficiently and effectively, in harmony with the national legislation and the international commitments assumed by the Costa Rican State in environmental matters.
VI. —That new trends in public management require simplifying, digitizing, and making the procedures inherent to public administration more efficient, guaranteeing active citizen participation in environmental decision-making processes, in accordance with the principles of transparency, participation, and access to environmental information promoted by the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Escazú Agreement, Law 9891 of 10 February 2021.
VII. —That the current regulation on this matter, “Regulations of Environmental Impact Assessment (Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental, EIA) Procedures,” contained in Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC, has been subject to multiple partial reforms, making it necessary to integrate its provisions into a single body of law that systematizes and updates the procedures for the technical environmental evaluation of activities, works, or projects that require environmental viability from the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA). Therefore, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AND THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY ISSUE:
GENERAL REGULATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL VIABILITY PROCEDURES OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT (SETENA)
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Objective, scope, definitions, and principles
WHEREAS
TITLE I
CHAPTER I
The objective of this Regulation is to establish the legal and technical framework that regulates the environmental evaluation (evaluación ambiental) and environmental viability licensing (otorgamiento de la viabilidad ambiental) procedures for activities, works, or projects, before the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA), in accordance with current legislation.
This Regulation shall apply to all natural or legal persons, public or private, who submit an environmental assessment document (documento de evaluación ambiental) to SETENA for obtaining the environmental viability license (licencia de viabilidad ambiental), as well as to SETENA itself in the exercise of its legal powers.
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions are established:
a. Significant environmental impact (impacto ambiental significativo): Substantial alteration of one or more environmental elements, caused by human action, which exceeds the resilience capacity of the ecosystem.
b. Environmental viability (viabilidad ambiental): Technical-legal act by which SETENA determines that an activity, work, or project, from the environmental perspective, can be executed under the established conditions and measures.
c. Environmental assessment document (documento de evaluación ambiental, D1): Technical document that analyzes the environmental consequences of an activity, work, or project, proposing prevention, mitigation, correction, and compensation measures.
d. Environmental management plan (plan de gestión ambiental, PGA): Set of environmental measures and actions to be implemented during the different phases of the activity, work, or project, to ensure compliance with the environmental viability.
e. Environmental sustainability (sostenibilidad ambiental): Principle that harmonizes economic development with the protection of the environment and social welfare, ensuring that the use of natural resources meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.
f. Environmental audit (auditoría ambiental): Systematic, documented, periodic, and objective procedure for evaluating compliance with the environmental viability license, the environmental management plan, and current environmental regulations.
g. Environmental regency (regencia ambiental): Technical function of monitoring and control over the environmental compliance of an activity, work, or project, exercised by a professional accredited before SETENA.
h. Environmental contingency plan (plan de contingencia ambiental): Set of procedures and actions aimed at responding to accidents or emergency situations that may cause environmental impacts.
Environmental viability procedures shall be governed by the following principles:
a. Prevention: Priority will be given to measures that avoid, prevent, or minimize environmental damage, over those aimed at restoring or compensating for said damage.
b. Precaution: When there is a threat of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of absolute scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason to postpone the adoption of cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
c. Scientific and technical rigor: Environmental evaluations shall be based on verifiable scientific criteria and accepted technical methodologies.
d. Public participation: The right of any person, natural or legal, to participate in environmental decision-making processes and to access environmental information is guaranteed, in accordance with legally established procedures.
e. Efficiency: SETENA shall process procedures in a timely manner, avoiding unnecessary formalities and promoting the use of electronic means.
f. Responsibility: Whoever causes environmental damage shall be obliged to repair it in accordance with the law, without prejudice to the corresponding administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions.
g. Transparency: SETENA's actions, the information generated, and the decisions adopted in environmental viability proceedings are public, except for the limitations established by law.
ORGANIZATION AND POWERS
National Environmental Technical Secretariat
TITLE II
CHAPTER I
Within the framework of environmental viability, SETENA's powers are:
a. To evaluate, approve, or reject the environmental assessment documents (documentos de evaluación ambiental, D1) submitted by applicants, including environmental impact studies (estudios de impacto ambiental, EsIA), environmental diagnosis (diagnóstico ambiental, DA), the environmental prediction sheet (pronóstico ambiental, P-PGA), and other documents required by regulations.
b. To grant, deny, suspend, modify, or cancel environmental viability licenses (licencias de viabilidad ambiental).
c. To establish the conditions, measures, and obligations that the environmental viability license shall contain, including the environmental management plan (plan de gestión ambiental, PGA).
d. To supervise, monitor, and control compliance with the environmental viability license and environmental commitments through environmental audits (auditorías ambientales), environmental regencies (regencias ambientales), and site inspections.
e. To impose administrative sanctions for violations of the provisions of this Regulation and environmental viability licenses, in accordance with due process.
f. To resolve administrative appeals filed against its decisions.
g. To manage the Register of Environmental Consultants (Registro de Consultores Ambientales), the Register of Environmental Regents (Registro de Regentes Ambientales), and the Register of Environmental Auditors (Registro de Auditores Ambientales).
h. To manage and update the Environmental Digitization Platform (Plataforma de Digitalización Ambiental) for the presentation and processing of environmental viability applications.
i. To issue mandatory criteria regarding the content of environmental assessment documents when requested by the proponents.
j. Any others established by law or regulations.
Executing Units
CHAPTER II
The Director of SETENA is the hierarchical superior of the institution and exercises its legal representation, without prejudice to the functions assigned to the Plenary Commission.
The Plenary Commission is a collegiate body composed of the members established in the Organic Law of the Environment, responsible for deciding on applications for environmental viability for high-impact activities, works, or projects, in accordance with the EIA set defined by this Regulation.
SETENA shall have the technical and administrative departments necessary for fulfilling its functions, in accordance with its Internal Organization Regulation.
ENVIRONMENTAL VIABILITY PROCEDURE
Environmental Assessment Documents
TITLE III
CHAPTER I
The following environmental assessment documents are established:
a. Environmental Impact Study (Estudio de Impacto Ambiental, EsIA): Applied to new projects or expansions/ modifications that involve significant environmental impacts (impactos ambientales significativos), according to the EIA set established in Annex 1 of this Regulation.
b. Environmental Prediction Sheet, with its respective Environmental Management Plan (Pronóstico Ambiental, P-PGA): Applied to projects, activities, or works that generate moderate or low environmental impacts, according to the EIA set established in Annex 1.
c. Environmental Diagnosis (Diagnóstico Ambiental, DA): Applied to projects, activities, or works that are already operating without an environmental viability license and whose impact is moderate or low, or those that require adjustments to their environmental management plan.
d. Environmental Risk Study (Estudio de Riesgo Ambiental): Required for activities involving the handling, storage, or management of hazardous substances, in accordance with the provisions of Article 28 of this Regulation.
Environmental Viability License
CHAPTER II
The environmental viability license shall be governed by this Regulation and, supplementarily, by the General Public Administration Act, without prejudice to the application of other sectoral regulations when the nature of the project so requires.
The environmental viability license shall contain at least: a) Identification of the licensee; b) Precise description of the authorized activity, work, or project; c) Duration of the license; d) Environmental measures and obligations; e) Environmental management plan (PGA) and environmental monitoring plan; f) Environmental guarantees required, if any; g) Identification of the environmental regent (regente ambiental), if applicable; and h) Deadline and conditions for submitting environmental compliance reports.
The environmental viability license shall be granted for the useful life of the project, understood as the period during which the activity, work, or project is executed and operated, subject to SETENA's monitoring and control. SETENA may review the license when the conditions under which it was granted change.
Procedure
CHAPTER III
The application for environmental viability shall be submitted through the Environmental Digitization Platform (Plataforma de Digitalización Ambiental) of SETENA, accompanied by the corresponding environmental assessment document (documento de evaluación ambiental), according to the nature of the project, complying with the terms of reference established for each type of instrument.
Within ten business days of receipt, SETENA shall review the application and, if it is incomplete, shall grant the interested party a single fifteen-business-day period to correct it, with a warning of abandonment of the procedure in the event of non-compliance. Once the application has been accepted for processing, the evaluation phase shall commence.
SETENA shall evaluate the environmental assessment document, verify compliance with the terms of reference, and may request additional information, studies, or clarifications. SETENA shall also publish the application on its website to guarantee public participation.
Any person may submit observations or objections to the project within the established public consultation period, which shall not exceed fifteen business days for the Environmental Prediction Sheet (Pronóstico Ambiental) and thirty business days for the Environmental Impact Study (EsIA). SETENA shall analyze the observations received and incorporate them, where appropriate, into the resolution.
The resolution granting or denying the environmental viability shall be issued within sixty business days for the Environmental Impact Study (EsIA) and thirty business days for the Environmental Prediction Sheet (P-PGA), counted from the admission of the application. These deadlines are suspended when SETENA has requested additional information and shall be resumed once the interested party has submitted the request.
Monitoring, Audits, and Regencies
CHAPTER IV
The holder of an environmental viability license shall implement an environmental monitoring plan (plan de monitoreo ambiental) and submit periodic reports to SETENA with the frequency and content established in the resolution granting the license.
License holders shall appoint an environmental regent (regente ambiental), registered in SETENA’s Register, who shall be responsible for monitoring the activity’s environmental compliance and issuing quarterly reports on the status of the project, which shall be submitted to SETENA.
SETENA may order the performance of an environmental audit (auditoría ambiental) to verify environmental compliance. The audit may be carried out directly by SETENA or through an external auditor registered in the corresponding Register, at the cost of the license holder.
ENVIRONMENTAL GUARANTEE
TITLE IV
CHAPTER UNIQUE
In cases where the activity, work, or project poses a potential risk of serious environmental degradation, SETENA may require the granting of an environmental guarantee (garantía ambiental) to ensure compliance with the environmental measures and the payment of possible environmental damages.
The environmental guarantee may consist of a certificate of deposit, a performance bond, or another instrument accepted in law, and its amount shall be proportional to the environmental risk of the project.
SETENA may execute the environmental guarantee, in whole or in part, when it verifies non-compliance with the obligations that motivated its constitution, without prejudice to the corresponding administrative sanctions.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGIME
Infractions and Sanctions
TITLE V
CHAPTER I
The following actions or omissions constitute infractions, without prejudice to others established in the legislation: a) Starting works or operations without having obtained the environmental viability license; b) Failing to comply with the environmental measures established in the license; c) Submitting false or fraudulent information to SETENA; d) Obstructing the work of inspection, auditing, or environmental regency; e) Failing to submit the periodic reports of the environmental regency; f) Failing to comply with the resolutions or orders of SETENA.
Infractions shall be sanctioned, in accordance with the seriousness of the act, the damage caused, and the repetition, with: a) Written warning; b) Fine of one to ten base salaries; c) Suspension of the environmental viability license for up to six months; d) Total or partial closure of the activity, work, or project; e) Cancellation of the environmental viability license.
The sanctioning procedure shall be processed in accordance with the provisions of the General Public Administration Act, guaranteeing the presumed offender's right to due process and defense.
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Transitional Provisions
TITLE VI
CHAPTER I
Environmental viability proceedings initiated prior to the entry into force of this Regulation shall be processed to completion in accordance with the regulations in force at the start of the procedure, unless the interested party expressly requests the application of this Regulation insofar as it benefits them.
The Registers managed by SETENA shall be adapted to the provisions of this Regulation within a period of six months from its entry into force.
Final Provisions
CHAPTER II
SETENA shall develop and implement the Environmental Digitization Platform (Plataforma de Digitalización Ambiental) to centralize the management of environmental viability procedures electronically.
For activities involving high environmental risk, such as those managing hazardous substances, the submission of an Environmental Risk Study (Estudio de Riesgo Ambiental) is mandatory, which may be integrated into the corresponding environmental assessment document.
The following annexes form an integral part of this Regulation: Annex 1: Set of Environmental Impact Activities (Conjunto de Actividades de Impacto Ambiental, EIA set); Annex 2: Terms of Reference for the preparation of Environmental Assessment Documents.
Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC of 28 June 2004, “Regulation of the Environmental Canon for Dumping,” is specifically repealed in those provisions that contradict or oppose this Regulation, as well as any other regulation of equal or lower rank that opposes the provisions herein.
This Regulation shall enter into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette (La Gaceta).
Given at the Presidency of the Republic. —San José, on the twenty-eighth day of November, two thousand twelve.
N° 37460-S-MINAE THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AND THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY Pursuant to the powers conferred by Articles 140, paragraphs 3) and 18) and 146 of the Political Constitution; Articles 27.1 and 28.2.b) of the General Public Administration Act, Law 6227 of 2 May 1978; the Organic Law of the Environment, Law 7554 of 4 October 1995; the Forestry Law (Ley Forestal), Law 7575 of 13 February 1996, and its Regulations, Executive Decree (Decreto Ejecutivo) 25721-MINAE of 17 October 1996; Law of the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), Law 10005 of 17 September 2019; Law for the Management of Industrial and Hazardous Waste, Law 8839 of 24 June 2010; and Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC of 28 June 2004, Regulation of the Environmental Canon for Dumping (Reglamento del Canon Ambiental por Vertidos).
I. —That the Constitution recognizes the right of all persons to enjoy a healthy and ecologically balanced environment, and therefore it is the State's duty to guarantee, defend, and preserve that right.
II. —That the Organic Law of the Environment establishes the State’s obligation to ensure the rational use of environmental elements and to promote the development of environmental impact assessment (evaluación de impacto ambiental, EIA) as an instrument for making decisions regarding activities that may significantly affect the environment.
III. —That Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC of 28 June 2004, “Regulation of the Environmental Canon for Dumping,” issued by the President of the Republic, the Minister of Environment and Energy, the Minister of Public Works and Transport, the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, and the Minister of Economy, Industry and Commerce, establishes the basic guidelines for the application of the environmental canon for dumping, in accordance with the principle that whoever pollutes pays.
IV. —That it is necessary to regulate the procedure for the technical environmental evaluation (evaluación ambiental técnica) and the administrative procedure for activities, works, or projects that require an environmental viability license (licencia de viabilidad ambiental) from the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica Nacional Ambiental, SETENA), in order to provide legal certainty and streamline the processing of applications.
V. —That the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA) requires an updated regulatory framework that allows it to exercise its functions of evaluation and environmental control efficiently and effectively, in harmony with the national legislation and the international commitments assumed by the Costa Rican State in environmental matters.
VI. —That new trends in public management require simplifying, digitizing, and making the procedures inherent to public administration more efficient, guaranteeing active citizen participation in environmental decision-making processes, in accordance with the principles of transparency, participation, and access to environmental information promoted by the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and the Escazú Agreement, Law 9891 of 10 February 2021.
VII. —That the current regulation on this matter, “Regulations of Environmental Impact Assessment (Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental, EIA) Procedures,” contained in Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC, has been subject to multiple partial reforms, making it necessary to integrate its provisions into a single body of law that systematizes and updates the procedures for the technical environmental evaluation of activities, works, or projects that require environmental viability from the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA). Therefore, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AND THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY ISSUE:
GENERAL REGULATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL VIABILITY PROCEDURES OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT (SETENA)
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Objective, scope, definitions, and principles
WHEREAS
TITLE I
CHAPTER I
The objective of this Regulation is to establish the legal and technical framework that regulates the environmental evaluation (evaluación ambiental) and environmental viability licensing (otorgamiento de la viabilidad ambiental) procedures for activities, works, or projects, before the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA), in accordance with current legislation.
This Regulation shall apply to all natural or legal persons, public or private, who submit an environmental assessment document (documento de evaluación ambiental) to SETENA for obtaining the environmental viability license (licencia de viabilidad ambiental), as well as to SETENA itself in the exercise of its legal powers.
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions are established:
a. Significant environmental impact (impacto ambiental significativo): Substantial alteration of one or more environmental elements, caused by human action, which exceeds the resilience capacity of the ecosystem.
b. Environmental viability (viabilidad ambiental): Technical-legal act by which SETENA determines that an activity, work, or project, from the environmental perspective, can be executed under the established conditions and measures.
c. Environmental assessment document (documento de evaluación ambiental, D1): Technical document that analyzes the environmental consequences of an activity, work, or project, proposing prevention, mitigation, correction, and compensation measures.
d. Environmental management plan (plan de gestión ambiental, PGA): Set of environmental measures and actions to be implemented during the different phases of the activity, work, or project, to ensure compliance with the environmental viability.
e. Environmental sustainability (sostenibilidad ambiental): Principle that harmonizes economic development with the protection of the environment and social welfare, ensuring that the use of natural resources meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.
f. Environmental audit (auditoría ambiental): Systematic, documented, periodic, and objective procedure for evaluating compliance with the environmental viability license, the environmental management plan, and current environmental regulations.
g. Environmental regency (regencia ambiental): Technical function of monitoring and control over the environmental compliance of an activity, work, or project, exercised by a professional accredited before SETENA.
h. Environmental contingency plan (plan de contingencia ambiental): Set of procedures and actions aimed at responding to accidents or emergency situations that may cause environmental impacts.
Environmental viability procedures shall be governed by the following principles:
a. Prevention: Priority will be given to measures that avoid, prevent, or minimize environmental damage, over those aimed at restoring or compensating for said damage.
b. Precaution: When there is a threat of serious or irreversible damage, the lack of absolute scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason to postpone the adoption of cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
c. Scientific and technical rigor: Environmental evaluations shall be based on verifiable scientific criteria and accepted technical methodologies.
d. Public participation: The right of any person, natural or legal, to participate in environmental decision-making processes and to access environmental information is guaranteed, in accordance with legally established procedures.
e. Efficiency: SETENA shall process procedures in a timely manner, avoiding unnecessary formalities and promoting the use of electronic means.
f. Responsibility: Whoever causes environmental damage shall be obliged to repair it in accordance with the law, without prejudice to the corresponding administrative, civil, or criminal sanctions.
g. Transparency: SETENA's actions, the information generated, and the decisions adopted in environmental viability proceedings are public, except for the limitations established by law.
ORGANIZATION AND POWERS
National Environmental Technical Secretariat
TITLE II
CHAPTER I
Within the framework of environmental viability, SETENA's powers are:
a. To evaluate, approve, or reject the environmental assessment documents (documentos de evaluación ambiental, D1) submitted by applicants, including environmental impact studies (estudios de impacto ambiental, EsIA), environmental diagnosis (diagnóstico ambiental, DA), the environmental prediction sheet (pronóstico ambiental, P-PGA), and other documents required by regulations.
b. To grant, deny, suspend, modify, or cancel environmental viability licenses (licencias de viabilidad ambiental).
c. To establish the conditions, measures, and obligations that the environmental viability license shall contain, including the environmental management plan (plan de gestión ambiental, PGA).
d. To supervise, monitor, and control compliance with the environmental viability license and environmental commitments through environmental audits (auditorías ambientales), environmental regencies (regencias ambientales), and site inspections.
e. To impose administrative sanctions for violations of the provisions of this Regulation and environmental viability licenses, in accordance with due process.
f. To resolve administrative appeals filed against its decisions.
g. To manage the Register of Environmental Consultants (Registro de Consultores Ambientales), the Register of Environmental Regents (Registro de Regentes Ambientales), and the Register of Environmental Auditors (Registro de Auditores Ambientales).
h. To manage and update the Environmental Digitization Platform (Plataforma de Digitalización Ambiental) for the presentation and processing of environmental viability applications.
i. To issue mandatory criteria regarding the content of environmental assessment documents when requested by the proponents.
j. Any others established by law or regulations.
Executing Units
CHAPTER II
The Director of SETENA is the hierarchical superior of the institution and exercises its legal representation, without prejudice to the functions assigned to the Plenary Commission.
The Plenary Commission is a collegiate body composed of the members established in the Organic Law of the Environment, responsible for deciding on applications for environmental viability for high-impact activities, works, or projects, in accordance with the EIA set defined by this Regulation.
SETENA shall have the technical and administrative departments necessary for fulfilling its functions, in accordance with its Internal Organization Regulation.
ENVIRONMENTAL VIABILITY PROCEDURE
Environmental Assessment Documents
TITLE III
CHAPTER I
The following environmental assessment documents are established:
a. Environmental Impact Study (Estudio de Impacto Ambiental, EsIA): Applied to new projects or expansions/ modifications that involve significant environmental impacts (impactos ambientales significativos), according to the EIA set established in Annex 1 of this Regulation.
b. Environmental Prediction Sheet, with its respective Environmental Management Plan (Pronóstico Ambiental, P-PGA): Applied to projects, activities, or works that generate moderate or low environmental impacts, according to the EIA set established in Annex 1.
c. Environmental Diagnosis (Diagnóstico Ambiental, DA): Applied to projects, activities, or works that are already operating without an environmental viability license and whose impact is moderate or low, or those that require adjustments to their environmental management plan.
d. Environmental Risk Study (Estudio de Riesgo Ambiental): Required for activities involving the handling, storage, or management of hazardous substances, in accordance with the provisions of Article 28 of this Regulation.
Environmental Viability License
CHAPTER II
The environmental viability license shall be governed by this Regulation and, supplementarily, by the General Public Administration Act, without prejudice to the application of other sectoral regulations when the nature of the project so requires.
The environmental viability license shall contain at least: a) Identification of the licensee; b) Precise description of the authorized activity, work, or project; c) Duration of the license; d) Environmental measures and obligations; e) Environmental management plan (PGA) and environmental monitoring plan; f) Environmental guarantees required, if any; g) Identification of the environmental regent (regente ambiental), if applicable; and h) Deadline and conditions for submitting environmental compliance reports.
The environmental viability license shall be granted for the useful life of the project, understood as the period during which the activity, work, or project is executed and operated, subject to SETENA's monitoring and control. SETENA may review the license when the conditions under which it was granted change.
Procedure
CHAPTER III
The application for environmental viability shall be submitted through the Environmental Digitization Platform (Plataforma de Digitalización Ambiental) of SETENA, accompanied by the corresponding environmental assessment document (documento de evaluación ambiental), according to the nature of the project, complying with the terms of reference established for each type of instrument.
Within ten business days of receipt, SETENA shall review the application and, if it is incomplete, shall grant the interested party a single fifteen-business-day period to correct it, with a warning of abandonment of the procedure in the event of non-compliance. Once the application has been accepted for processing, the evaluation phase shall commence.
SETENA shall evaluate the environmental assessment document, verify compliance with the terms of reference, and may request additional information, studies, or clarifications. SETENA shall also publish the application on its website to guarantee public participation.
Any person may submit observations or objections to the project within the established public consultation period, which shall not exceed fifteen business days for the Environmental Prediction Sheet (Pronóstico Ambiental) and thirty business days for the Environmental Impact Study (EsIA). SETENA shall analyze the observations received and incorporate them, where appropriate, into the resolution.
The resolution granting or denying the environmental viability shall be issued within sixty business days for the Environmental Impact Study (EsIA) and thirty business days for the Environmental Prediction Sheet (P-PGA), counted from the admission of the application. These deadlines are suspended when SETENA has requested additional information and shall be resumed once the interested party has submitted the request.
Monitoring, Audits, and Regencies
CHAPTER IV
The holder of an environmental viability license shall implement an environmental monitoring plan (plan de monitoreo ambiental) and submit periodic reports to SETENA with the frequency and content established in the resolution granting the license.
License holders shall appoint an environmental regent (regente ambiental), registered in SETENA’s Register, who shall be responsible for monitoring the activity’s environmental compliance and issuing quarterly reports on the status of the project, which shall be submitted to SETENA.
SETENA may order the performance of an environmental audit (auditoría ambiental) to verify environmental compliance. The audit may be carried out directly by SETENA or through an external auditor registered in the corresponding Register, at the cost of the license holder.
ENVIRONMENTAL GUARANTEE
TITLE IV
CHAPTER UNIQUE
In cases where the activity, work, or project poses a potential risk of serious environmental degradation, SETENA may require the granting of an environmental guarantee (garantía ambiental) to ensure compliance with the environmental measures and the payment of possible environmental damages.
The environmental guarantee may consist of a certificate of deposit, a performance bond, or another instrument accepted in law, and its amount shall be proportional to the environmental risk of the project.
SETENA may execute the environmental guarantee, in whole or in part, when it verifies non-compliance with the obligations that motivated its constitution, without prejudice to the corresponding administrative sanctions.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGIME
Infractions and Sanctions
TITLE V
CHAPTER I
The following actions or omissions constitute infractions, without prejudice to others established in the legislation: a) Starting works or operations without having obtained the environmental viability license; b) Failing to comply with the environmental measures established in the license; c) Submitting false or fraudulent information to SETENA; d) Obstructing the work of inspection, auditing, or environmental regency; e) Failing to submit the periodic reports of the environmental regency; f) Failing to comply with the resolutions or orders of SETENA.
Infractions shall be sanctioned, in accordance with the seriousness of the act, the damage caused, and the repetition, with: a) Written warning; b) Fine of one to ten base salaries; c) Suspension of the environmental viability license for up to six months; d) Total or partial closure of the activity, work, or project; e) Cancellation of the environmental viability license.
The sanctioning procedure shall be processed in accordance with the provisions of the General Public Administration Act, guaranteeing the presumed offender's right to due process and defense.
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
Transitional Provisions
TITLE VI
CHAPTER I
Environmental viability proceedings initiated prior to the entry into force of this Regulation shall be processed to completion in accordance with the regulations in force at the start of the procedure, unless the interested party expressly requests the application of this Regulation insofar as it benefits them.
The Registers managed by SETENA shall be adapted to the provisions of this Regulation within a period of six months from its entry into force.
Final Provisions
CHAPTER II
SETENA shall develop and implement the Environmental Digitization Platform (Plataforma de Digitalización Ambiental) to centralize the management of environmental viability procedures electronically.
For activities involving high environmental risk, such as those managing hazardous substances, the submission of an Environmental Risk Study (Estudio de Riesgo Ambiental) is mandatory, which may be integrated into the corresponding environmental assessment document.
The following annexes form an integral part of this Regulation: Annex 1: Set of Environmental Impact Activities (Conjunto de Actividades de Impacto Ambiental, EIA set); Annex 2: Terms of Reference for the preparation of Environmental Assessment Documents.
Executive Decree N° 31849-MINAE-S-MOPT-MAG-MEIC of 28 June 2004, “Regulation of the Environmental Canon for Dumping,” is specifically repealed in those provisions that contradict or oppose this Regulation, as well as any other regulation of equal or lower rank that opposes the provisions herein.
This Regulation shall enter into force upon its publication in the Official Gazette (La Gaceta).
Given at the Presidency of the Republic. —San José, on the twenty-eighth day of November, two thousand twelve.
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