Since 2020, to monitor the implementation of the TAC signed between the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Pará (MPPA), the State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability of Pará (Semas) and the companies Hydro and Alunorte, the Committee brings together representatives of communities, the Union of Chemical Industry Workers and the City Hall of Barcarena (PA), in addition to the signatory parties.

Bauxite residue – The senior chemical consultant in Hydro's technology area, Marcelo Montini, was invited to present the status of the research and development program for obtaining a product made from bauxite residue.

As provided for in item 8.13 of the TAC, Hydro carries out this initiative involving research and technology institutions, and has already submitted all the necessary reports. After recalling the history of actions, Montini updated the Committee informing that three products made from bauxite residues are being evaluated on a real scale and should be installed, by 2024, at Alunorte, an industrial plant for the production of metallic iron with this residue, one of the successful products in the pilot stage. The Hydro consultant also informed that three other applications are being scheduled for prototype and pilot stages.

Opening the Q&A session on this topic, the holder of the 1st representation of civil society, traditional communities and quilombolas, Mário Santos and the representative of Sindquímicos in the CA, Gilvandro Santa Brígida, asked about the economic and commercial viability of the products. Marcelo Montini replied that some partner companies of the research and development program will also be producers and consumers of the products, which, according to him, increases the chances of success, with a potential market in Pará and in the region of Barcarena for the products, according to Montini .

“I am happy to know that bauxite residue, which is a kind of giant garbage, can now be reused in a sustainable way. I hope everything works out”, evaluated Elidiane Cardim, from the sixth representation of civil society.

Vera Nascimento, alternate member of the first representation of civil society, suggested a face-to-face visit by the Monitoring Committee members to research and development activities for products made from bauxite residues.

Jackeline Sales, holder of the second representation, asked if they are already dealing with marketing with the regulatory bodies, and Elisomar Barreto, holder of the eighth representation, asked if the products will have competitive prices in the market. Montini replied that the program is still focused on the research and expansion stages, they are not yet dealing with issues related to wide commercialization, but he stated that it is expected that the products will have competitive prices when compared to conventional products.

Resources from TAC fines – Since the beginning of the work of the Monitoring Committee, the application of resources from fines paid by companies (clause 6.3 of the TAC), which were deposited in the State Fund for the Environment (FEMA), has been discussed. Currently, with income, the value already adds up to more than BRL 40 million.

During the CA's 29th meeting, held in April this year, Semas informed that it was evaluating other possible operational arrangements for executing the amount and signaled the possibility of transferring the value of Fema to the Eastern Amazon Fund (FAO). The announcement caused some surprise among the members of the TAC's Board of Directors, who sent a letter to the Secretary of the Environment and Sustainability of Pará, Ó de Almeida, inviting him to participate in a Committee meeting.

The secretary accepted the invitation and participated in the 30th CA meeting, and confirmed that the resource will be transferred to the FAO as it is a more agile and less bureaucratic financial mechanism in relation to Fema. The Eastern Amazon Fund (FAO) was created in 2019 by the Government of the State of Pará, and receives national and international investments for environmental preservation actions of the State Plan Amazônia Agora.

The superintendent of programs at the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (Funbio), Manoel Serrão, was also invited to participate in the CA meeting, presenting the history of Funbio and its activities and project management. Funbio is a non-profit association that won the competition to manage the FAO.

Mário Santos, from the first representation of civil society, asked if, when transferring the resource to FAO, the destination for the area covered by the TAC, in Barcarena and Abaetetuba (PA), would be maintained, with specific lines for traditional communities and quilombolas. He also asked whether the TAC Monitoring Committee will be able to monitor the management of the resource and whether the accumulated suggestions will be taken advantage of.

Substitute for the eighth representation of civil society, Ivo Torres exposed the fact that public notices with strict requirements limit the participation of communities that do not have sufficient technical resources to develop highly complex projects.

Secretary Ó de Almeida assured that the CA will be able to continue monitoring the application of resources and that, apart from the transfer to FAO's operationalization, all the suggestions accumulated by the CA will be followed. “Evidently, we are not going to do anything different from what was suggested by this committee. About the specific line for quilombola communities, you are the ones who will tell me”, said Almeida.

Almeida also stated that the TAC needs to be adjusted to specify how the resource should be applied as a priority in that area and reinforced that all those involved will receive information on the execution of the resources through reports. Subsequently, the Public Prosecutor Maria Olívia Junqueira stated that the transfer of the resource to the FAO will take place under a legal instrument that guarantees follow-up by civil society.

Next meeting – The TAC Monitoring Committee will hold its next ordinary meeting on 07/25/2023 with an agenda to be defined by the Committee.

Contact – In case of doubts, the executive secretary of the Follow-up Committee has a communication channel available by call or message at number (91) 99349-0098.

Members of the Monitoring Committee present at the 27th meeting:
Eduardo Gonçalves – Federal Public Ministry (MPF) – titular
Maria Olívia Pessoni Junqueira – Federal Public Ministry (MPF) – titular
Marcelo Moreno – Secretary of State for the Environment and Sustainability (Semas) – alternate
José Edson Maciel – Alunorte Alumina do Norte do Brasil S/A – titular
Alessandra Ribeiro – Norsk Hydro Brasil – alternate
Juliana Nobre Soares – City Hall of Barcarena – titular
Gilvandro Santa Brígida – Sindicato dos Trabalhadores nas Indústrias Químicas do Município de Barcarena (Sindquímicos) – titular
Mário Santos – Civil society representative - Region 1 - Quilombola and Traditional Communities - titular
Vera Lúcia Brito Nascimento – Civil society representative – Region 1 – Quilombola and Traditional Communities – alternate
Jackeline Sales – Civil society representative – Region 2 - titular
Leandro Azevedo – Civil society representative – Region 3 - titular
Gracilene Barreto da Costa – Civil society representative – Region 3 - alternate
Fátima Solange Oliveira Góes – Civil society representative – Region 4 - titular
Fabiano Azevedo – Civil society representative – Region 4 - alternate
Amauri Figueiredo – Civil society representative – Region 5 - alternate
Elidiane Cardim – Civil society representative – Region 6 - titular
James Pompeu Pereira – Civil society representative – Region 7 - alternate
Elisomar Barreto – Civil society representative – Region 8 - titular
Ivo Torres – Civil society representative – Region 8 - alternate
Hamilton José Moreira Caminha – Civil society representative – Region 9 - alternate

Hydro Alunorte’s guest:
Marcelo Montini (Senior chemical consultant in Hydro's technology area, member of the TAC Technical Committee for Norsk Hydro Brasil)

Semas’ guests:
José Mauro Lima Ó de Almeida (Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainability)
Tattila Brito Pamplona (Pará State Attorney)
Manoel Serrão (Funbio Programs’ superintendent)
Flávia Neviani (Legal Advisor at Funbio)
Manoela Muanis (Funbio Projects Area)

Executive Secretariat Team of the International Institute of Education of Brazil (IEB):
Edane França Acioli
Paulo Pantoja
Vanessa Silva
Raphael Castro

Source: Executive Secretariat of the TAC Monitoring Committee