Principais entraves na renovação da licença de operação de postos de combustíveis no município de Natal/RN

Abstract

Gas stations are considered potential sources of pollution, so it is important to understand how to avoid risks to the environment by regulating this activity. The present work highlights the environmental licensing as a management instrument in which the public power regularizes undertakings and effective or potentially polluting activities. In addition, it presents the stages of environmental licensing issued by the Government: the preliminary license (LP), the installation license (LI) and the operation license (LO). In addition, it is also highlighted how the laws govern this administrative act, emphasizing the need for regularization to be adhered to by the entrepreneur, individual or legal entity, to the competent environmental agency, which establishes the control rules that must be obeyed, in order to avoid potential risks of pollution or environmental degradation. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the main obstacles in the act of renewing an Operating License for gas stations in the city of Natal/RN. The methodological procedure adopted was the quantitative research of gas station processes at the Municipal Secretary of Environment and Urbanism (SEMURB) in the year 2021, for the analysis of the conditions of the issued licenses and the processing of the processes, in order to highlight the obstacles committed by applicants in the licensing procedure, in order to avoid them. The results showed that most of the processes requested at the secretariat had problems due to the lack of proof of compliance with the urban requirements and the valid Occupancy Certificate, as well as obstacles related to the lack of documents requested in the previous Operation License. It was verified that these obstacles can negatively impact the entrepreneur responsible for the enterprise and the environment.