A new MP (Provisional Measure) edited by the Jair Bolsonaro government (PL) worries entities that defend the public funding of science. The measure authorizes that amounts previously destined entirely for research, development and innovation are used in the dismantling and scrapping of heavy vehicles over 30 years old, such as trucks.
“These resources support projects in areas such as digital technologies, carbon capture and use, which is very important for decarbonization, and the development of new energies, such as renewable ones”, says Luiz Davidovich, president of ABC (Brazilian Academy of Sciences).
MP 1,112 was published on April 1st and went into effect from then on. In it, the government instituted the Program to Increase the Productivity of the Highway Fleet in the Country —called Renovar— and amended three laws.
One of the amended laws was 9,478 of 1997, which regulates the national energy policy and stipulates that oil companies must allocate up to 1% of gross revenue to finance research on oil and gas.
With the new MP, however, the government changed the text of this law in order to allow the use of the resource to finance the scrapping of heavy vehicles.
Although it is a budget that is directed to the financing of scientific research, the management of these resources is not done by the MCTI (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations). In fact, the budget is an assignment of the ANP (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels), which is linked to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
THE Sheet got in touch with the Planalto Palace to understand why this change was chosen and the impacts it can generate on the country’s scientific development. The Palace forwarded the doubts to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, but the ministry did not respond to the questions until the publication of this report.
For Davidovich, the new measure could mean a problem in the country’s growth. “[As pesquisas financiadas] are very important topics for economic development and for the country’s international role, but also for the environment. When we talk about capturing and using carbon and new less polluting energies, we are talking about protecting the environment”, he says.
According to Bolsonaro’s MP, the new rules are valid until 2027, but funds from previous years that were not used for research can be allocated to renewing the vehicle fleet. “If it were just this year, it would already harm the sustainable future of Brazil. Until 2027, it gets even worse”, says Davidovich.
The main problem is that the new possibility of using the budget differs from its initial purpose as it no longer has a direct impact on the financing of innovation projects. “Our position is that it is very positive to reform Brazil’s heavy vehicle fleet, but it cannot be done with resources earmarked for research because you are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs”, says the president of ABC, also referring to the cuts suffered in science in recent years.
This view that disapproves of the measure, however, is not adopted by sectors linked to the automotive industry.
The vice president of Anfavea (National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers), Marco Saltini, said at an event held by the entity that Renovar “will play a significant role in the social sphere, allowing autonomous truck drivers the opportunity to exchange their vehicle with productivity”.
Luiz Carlos Moraes, the association’s president, also has a positive opinion of the measure. “This decree, more than a victory for the automotive sector, is an achievement for truck drivers and for society as a whole”, he said at the same event.
For critics, the fact that Bolsonaro allows this budget to be directed to sectors linked to truck drivers has political interests, since this public would be one of the direct beneficiaries for having their vehicles withdrawn from circulation to undergo a scrapping process.
According to a note from Anfavea, the owner of a heavy vehicle over 30 years old will be able to deliver it and “receive the market value, plus the scrap value”.
“This measure has a purpose [com fins na eleição] because the president wants to solidify an electoral base among truck drivers”, says Davidovich.
In a note, several scientific entities, including ABC and SBPC (Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science), claim that the resource originated from Law 9,478 financed the construction of 150 laboratories throughout Brazil. In addition, the budget provided for more than 200 partnerships with universities and research institutes.
“The resource is distributed through calls to universities. These institutions prepare projects and they are judged by a commission in terms of merit”, says Davidovich. According to the ANP, there is also the possibility of the research taking place in the oil company itself or in other Brazilian companies.
As the decision that opens gaps for the redirection of this budget was taken through a provisional measure, it is necessary that it be voted on by the National Congress to become a Law.
“What we want is for the MP not to be approved by Congress because it will harm Brazil for a long time. It affects the core of a country’s development, which is science and technology”, says Davidovich.
Another way to reverse the situation is through amendments that congressmen propose as soon as an MP is edited by the representative. In the case of this measure 1,112, there was a proposal for an amendment made by Deputy Reginaldo Lopes (PT-MG) to suppress the two paragraphs that allow the use of the resource for scrapping purposes.
“We are fighting for [a emenda seja aprovada ou que a MP não se torne uma lei]”, concludes Davidovich.
