## Notes from 17 May 2025 [[2025-05-16|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-05-18|Next note →]] I recently [read a report](https://www.emol.com/noticias/Economia/2025/04/29/1164867/inversiones-calificacion-ambiental-us100-milmillones.html) on Chile’s environmental approval system, which noted that over US$ 100 billion in investment projects are currently awaiting evaluation. These reviews are coordinated by the _Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental_ (SEA), a technical agency responsible for organizing and standardizing environmental assessments across different sectors and levels of government. To reduce inconsistencies in how environmental rules are applied, the SEA has promoted the use of detailed technical guidelines. The number of these documents grew from 24 in 2014 to 64 in 2025. During the same period, however, the average processing time for Environmental Impact Studies increased from 547 to 995 days. The article highlights a tension: while the guidelines aim to bring more clarity and reduce discretion, they may also have increased procedural complexity and slowed down implementation. As part of a broader effort to address these issues, the government included [[Public Sector Reform in Chile#^permisologia-reform-in-chile|institutional reforms]] to accelerate permitting in its 2024 pro-growth package. In Chile, this broader regulatory landscape is often referred to as _permisología_, the set of rules, procedures and institutional actors involved in permit management. A [commentary](https://www.pivotes.cl/contenidos/cartas-al-director/densidad-normativa/) by the think tank [[Pivotes]] explores this issue in more detail. It argues that the growing number of guidelines has not reduced uncertainty. Instead, it has increased the burden on project developers and created room for additional requirements that sometimes exceed what is established in law or regulation. This discussion reminded me of the idea of [[Progress Protocols|progress protocols]], exploring complementary strategies such as risk-based project categorization and automatic deadlines that help focus attention on the most significant cases...