Environment Agency released to explore Foz do Amazonas – 05/30/2023 – Panel

A body created to mediate decisions regarding oil and gas exploration between the MME (Ministry of Mines and Energy) and the MMA (Ministry of the Environment) had already released oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon River in 2013, but with caveats.

The target of divergences between the two portfolios was analyzed prior to the 11th Bidding Round of the ANP (National Petroleum Agency) in the GTPEG (Inter-institutional Working Group for Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities), created by ordinance in 2012.

The objective was to assess the environmental impact of oil and gas extraction before the fields were put up for auction, precisely to avoid the situation in which the two portfolios find themselves today. The group was made up of members of the MMA, Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources) and the Chico Mendes Institute and acted in a consultative and prior manner with the MME.

The opinion prepared during the Dilma Rousseff (PT) administration, to which the Panel had access, makes references to problems pointed out on the 17th by Ibama to deny oil exploration in the region.

He mentions the high diversity of species, the delicacy of the mangroves that are vital for the marine fauna and the intense movement of the fishing fleet in the region, which would need to be addressed in the future for licensing the area.

Another point highlighted is the difficulty of access in the event of an oil leak. The president of Ibama, Rodrigo Agostinho, used as one of his justifications the period of at least 43 hours for the arrival of help in case of an accident. According to the technical team’s calculations, the oil could reach the Brazilian coast in up to 10 hours.

“As demonstrated, there are significant challenges to be overcome in order to demonstrate the environmental viability of the projects that will be implemented in these sectors. of the information to be raised in concrete cases”, says the GTPEG document.

The group was extinguished in 2019, the first year of the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Sought after, the MMA said there were negotiations to recreate the GTPEG, as well as other councils dismantled by the previous management.

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