No. Not only in the hydropower projects of the North, but in all PAC projects are carried out so that the environment and the population on the sites are minimally impacted by the projects. In 1986, Resolution 1 of the National Environmental Council (CONAMA), that determines the requirements for the issue of environmental licensing for major infrastructure projects, was ratified. In issuing licenses, federal and state agencies (the two levels depend on the size involved of the project) authorize the location, installation, expansion and operation of the projects. At the federal level, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, (IBAMA), is responsible for environmental licensing also features local social participation through public hearings held during the process. It is through the environmental licensing process that the impacts on nature and the location community are pointed out. This whole process is called an “environmental study”. The EIA is the Environmental Impact Assessment, and the RIMA is the Environmental Impact Report. Based on this report certain conditions for implementing the project, which can only exist if these conditions are met.

In fact it was through the PAC that Brazil again began to make heavy investments in railways. The Brazilian rail network in the mid-80s was literally frozen in time. In the 80s and 90s, the government chose not to re- invest in the sector until 1996 – 1998. During the first administration of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the whole railway system was privatized. But Lula and Dilma, by choosing to invest heavily in the resumption of investments in the national logistics system, turned their eyes once again to the Brazilian rail network. According to the latest balance sheet date, by December 2013, the PAC concluded 639 km of new railways and over 2471 km of projects in the sector are ongoing. In August 2012, President Dilma announced the licensing program that provides for investments of R$ 91 billion in railway construction.

Yes, it is up to the federal government and the PAC program to invest in urban mobility in medium and large cities. In August 2013, President Dilma announced the Mobility Pact, which provides $ 50 billion in Investments in major Brazilian cities and metropolitan areas. From all of the urban mobility projects submitted by Municipalities and state Governments through February 2014, a total of US$ 31.9 billion in investments were announced. These are Investments that will, in all, cover the construction of 80 urban mobility projects including bus lanes, a river corridor, subways, monorail, LRT and BRT. There are more than 3500 kilometers in public transportation projects being facilitated throughout the country. Before the Mobility Pact, the federal government had already announced the PAC Mobility - Big Cities and PAC Mobility - Medium Cities. The first, focusing on the cities with more than 700,000 inhabitants, selected projects in 51 Municipalities in 18 states of the country, with an estimated R$ 32 billion investment. The second, which is designed to improve traffic and public transportation in cities with between 250,000 and 700,000 inhabitants, is investing R$ 7.9 billion in 66 Municipalities in 19 states.

Yes, a big difference. The Brazil today has its lowest unemployment rate of all time – ending in December 2013 at 4.3% - and the program certainly influenced this achievement. Since its creation, the PAC has stimulated, directly and indirectly, the creation of jobs in various industries. With infrastructure projects such as roads, sanitation, generation and energy transmission the PAC combined an increase of 162.1% in formal employment, compared to 34.5% on the national average (2007-2013). According to General Register of Employment and Unemployment (CAGED) of the Ministry of Labor, the construction of ships and floating structures sector, for example, during the first two stages of the PAC, showed an average increase in new jobs of 12.8%. The Promef, the Fleet Modernization and Expansion Program, is generated 40,000 direct jobs and 160,000 indirect jobs. The recovery of the naval construction industry is currently generating a total of 62,000 direct jobs and 248,000 indirect throughout the country. In Municipalities directly benefitting from the program, such as Ipojuca (PE), home to the Suape Port Industrial Complex, the generation of formal employment has grown 214% in the last six years. In 2013, the Oil and Natural Gas exploration area recorded 750,000 jobs, with 150,000 direct jobs and 650,000 indirect jobs. In the same year, just the work on the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Power Plant has generated 18,800 direct jobs.

The goal of the São Francisco River Integration Project is to guarantee the supply of water to 12 million people in the semiarid Northeast living in 390 Municipalities in the states of Pernambuco, Ceará, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. The project, with 470 km in total length is divided into two axes - East and North - and will have total investment of R$ 8.2 billion. Today, the pace of work has picked up very quickly, now employing 11,000 workers with completion scheduled in 2015. In addition to this project, the PAC program has invested in other of water resources projects in Brazil. To learn more about them, visit: http://www.pac.gov.br/agua-e-luz-para-todos/recursos-hidricos.