Brazil’s Senate has approved a National Policy for Critical and Strategic Minerals, creating a presidential council empowered to review changes in control of companies holding critical mineral rights, scrutinise foreign influence and tie exports to value‑addition and processing commitments. The move comes as USA Rare Earth’s US$2.8 billion acquisition of Serra Verde and its 15‑year offtake of mixed rare earth carbonate, plus Australian‑backed projects like Viridis’ Colossus ionic‑adsorption clay deposit, position Brazil as a key rare earths supplier. Incentives include a 2‑billion real mineral guarantee fund and up to 5 billion reais in tax credits over five years for processing and transformation plants.

South American governments are moving to coordinate critical-mineral policy, with Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru signing an Aug. 28 declaration on geology, regulation, suppliers, skills and financing, while Chile and Argentina revive a mining integration treaty that could unlock $20.7 billion and add 540,000 t/y of copper via cross-border projects such as El Pachón. Brazil’s new critical-minerals framework couples about $1 billion in tax incentives and a guarantee fund with tighter scrutiny of foreign partnerships and mining titles to expand refining, battery and magnet production. For engineers and operators, the opportunity lies in large copper, lithium and graphite reserves, but project viability will hinge on permitting timelines, fiscal stability and how far states push downstream value capture.

Revisions to England’s National Planning Policy Framework tighten requirements on flood risk assessment and sustainable drainage for new developments, but drainage specialists warn they cannot match the statutory control offered by implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act. The updated NPPF strengthens policy wording on SuDS, runoff management and surface water exceedance routing, yet still relies on local planning authorities’ capacity and variable guidance. Practitioners are cautioned that, without Schedule 3’s mandatory approval bodies and adoption duties, long-term performance and maintenance of SuDS assets remain uncertain.