Colombia adopts Decree 1425 to speed post-earthquake reconstruction under exceptional environmental rules

On September 18, the Colombian government adopted Decree 1425, creating exceptional environmental rules for post-earthquake reconstruction. The decree temporarily allows debris-disposal sites to operate without prior environmental licensing when existing municipal sites are insufficient, aiming to accelerate rubble removal and works execution. The measure changes the operating environment immediately for environmental authorities, municipalities and contractors because it shifts the balance toward speed of cleanup while raising near-term enforcement and liability questions.