NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS AO VOTO DO MINISTRO LUIZ FUX ADIs EM FACE DA LEI Nº 12.651/2012 (NOVO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL)

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) provides a detailed analysis and critique of Minister Luiz Fux's vote regarding several Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality (ADIs) challenging the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012). The document highlights legal inconsistencies in the Minister's approach to the July 22, 2008, temporal milestone and the potential impacts of declaring the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) unconstitutional.

• Minister Luiz Fux's vote is characterized as ambiguous and incoherent regarding the July 22, 2008, temporal milestone. While he declared the expression "realizada após 22 de julho de 2008" unconstitutional in Art. 7, §3º and Art. 17, §3º, he simultaneously upheld the constitutionality of Articles 61-A to 63 and Art. 66, which establish special transition regimes for consolidated areas based on that same milestone.
• The Minister declared Articles 59 and 60 of the Forest Code unconstitutional, arguing that the Environmental Regularization Programs (PRAs) provide a "conditional amnesty" that violates the Federal Constitution. The document warns that declaring the entirety of Article 59 unconstitutional would be a decision 'ultra petita' (beyond the request) and would undermine a pillar of the Forest Code, as the PRA is essential for regularizing consolidated areas in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves (RL).
• The unconstitutionality of Article 60 specifically affects rural producers who were prosecuted for environmental crimes committed before July 22, 2008, as it removes the suspension and extinction of punishability, meaning they will remain liable for crimes under Law 9.605/1998.
• Minister Fux upheld the constitutionality of the Environmental Reserve Quota (CRA) and the possibility of compensating Legal Reserves (RL) within the same biome or by donating land to a Conservation Unit (UC), viewing market-based solutions as effective incentives for environmental protection.
• The Minister granted a constitutional interpretation to Art. 3, VIII and IX, conditioning exceptional interventions in Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) for social interest or public utility on the proven absence of technical or locational alternatives.
• The vote declared the unconstitutionality of specific expressions in Art. 3, VIII, b, removing 'waste management' and 'installations necessary for the holding of state, national or international sports competitions' from the list of public utilities that justify APP intervention.

APA

Chiavari, J., & Lopes, C. L. (2017). NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS AO VOTO DO MINISTRO LUIZ FUX ADIs EM FACE DA LEI Nº 12.651/2012 (NOVO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL). Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nota_Tecnica_ADIs_Codigo_Florestal_Comentarios_ao_voto_do_Ministro_Luis_Fux.pdf

Chicago

Chiavari, Joana, and Cristina Leme Lopes. NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS AO VOTO DO MINISTRO LUIZ FUX ADIs EM FACE DA LEI Nº 12.651/2012 (NOVO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL). Climate Policy Initiative, 2017. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nota_Tecnica_ADIs_Codigo_Florestal_Comentarios_ao_voto_do_Ministro_Luis_Fux.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chiavari |first1=Joana |last2=Lopes |first2=Cristina Leme |title=NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS AO VOTO DO MINISTRO LUIZ FUX ADIs EM FACE DA LEI Nº 12.651/2012 (NOVO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL) |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=November 2017 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nota_Tecnica_ADIs_Codigo_Florestal_Comentarios_ao_voto_do_Ministro_Luis_Fux.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chiavari2017nota, author = {Chiavari, Joana and Lopes, Cristina Leme}, title = {{NOTA TÉCNICA COMENTÁRIOS AO VOTO DO MINISTRO LUIZ FUX ADIs EM FACE DA LEI Nº 12.651/2012 (NOVO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL)}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Nota_Tecnica_ADIs_Codigo_Florestal_Comentarios_ao_voto_do_Ministro_Luis_Fux.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }