Head of Ibama denies Marina’s role in vetoing oil – 05/18/2023 – Panel

The president of Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), Rodrigo Agostinho, told the Panel that the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva (Rede), had no interference in his decision to deny exploratory studies for the extraction oil at the mouth of the Amazon River.

“Federal licensing doesn’t even go through the ministry. [Marina] understands that this is a technical decision, which should be taken by Ibama”, he said.

According to Agostinho, although there are “a ton of papers” forwarded by Petrobras on his desk, they were not enough to prove the absence of socio-environmental risks if the undertaking were carried out.

In addition to the absence of the so-called Environmental Assessment of the Sedimentary Area (AAAS), which the company did not deliver, he also cites the fauna service plan and the communication plan for indigenous peoples as flawed and insufficient. “There was no clear plan for the possibility of an accident. It is a sensitive region, with several marine species, it was necessary to be clear about the management.”

The leader of the government in Congress, Randolfe Rodrigues, and the Minister of the Environment, Alexandre Silveira (PSD), had been defending authorization for oil exploration studies in the region. As the Panel showed, the two even met this week, in the presence of the governor of Amapá, Clécio Luís (Solidariedade).

Even with this internal pressure, Agostinho points out that the decision is final and will only be reviewed if Petrobras presents a new proposal, more robust than the previous one.

“It must be clear that it was a technical decision. It was not a stroke of the pen by Rodrigo, the environmentalist. It was an analysis supported by 100% of the professionals who participated in it.”

This Thursday morning (18), Randolfe announced his departure from the Rede Sustentabilidade party. In a note with five short paragraphs, the parliamentarian thanks former Senator Heloísa Helena for her companionship, but does not even mention Marina.

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