Indigenous peoples were ignored in gas project, says government – 9/1/2023 – Environment

Funai (National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples) requested in an official letter the suspension of environmental licensing processes for gas exploration activities in the so-called Campo Azulão, in Silves (AM) and Itapiranga (AM).

Gas exploration in this region of the Amazon, less than 300 km from Manaus, is already underway, under the responsibility of the company Eneva. The input is taken to a thermoelectric plant in Roraima, which is responsible for 50% of the electricity generation in the state, according to the company.

According to Funai, licensing cannot proceed without the so-called indigenous component study, necessary when an enterprise impacts traditional communities.

When contacted, Eneva did not respond until the report was completed.

Gas exploration and licensing ignore the presence of indigenous peoples and the impacts on communities, according to Funai. The same was said by the MPI (Ministry of Indigenous Peoples), in a second document.

Faced with this “scenario of irregularities”, the MPF (Federal Public Ministry) in Amazonas recommended the suspension of two hearings scheduled for this weekend in Silves and Itapiranga.

The purpose of the hearings is to discuss the progress of gas exploration ventures. For the MPF, it is first necessary to regularize the study of the indigenous component.

The licensing process is not conducted by Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), a federal agency, but by Ipaam (Institute for Environmental Protection of Amazonas), the local government.

A Sheet questioned Eneva and Ipaam about the positions taken by federal government bodies and the MPF’s recommendation. There was no response until the report was published.

One of the undertakings in the licensing phase is the Azulão Thermoelectric Power Plant, the object of the public hearings called by Eneva and Ipaam.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amazonas recommended that these hearings only take place after studying the indigenous component and carrying out free consultation with the communities, as provided for in convention number 169 of the ILO (International Labor Organization). Brazil is a signatory to the convention, which establishes the need for consultation with traditional peoples, for 20 years.

In the recommendation, signed by three prosecutors on Thursday (31), the MPF reproduces excerpts from the documents prepared by Funai and MPI.

Funai’s request for the suspension of the licensing process was directed to the presidency of Ipaam and the management of Eneva. The letter is dated 4 August.

The director of the Promotion of Sustainable Development, Lucia Alberta de Oliveira, said that there are reports of impacts of the project on the indigenous communities of the region and that, based on the “principles of prevention and precaution”, it is advisable to suspend the licensing until the existence of an indigenous component study.

The director of the Department of Mediation and Conciliation of Indigenous Land Conflicts at the MPI, Marcos Kaingang, also sent a letter to Ipaam and Eneva, on Wednesday (30). He asked for access to the licensing process, a meeting with federal agencies and the cancellation of hearings scheduled for the weekend.

“According to reports sent to the MPI by indigenous leaders and local organizations, the climate of distress and uncertainty reigns in the villages and communities, including the intensification of conflicts in the region, mainly due to the advance of licensing”, he said in the official letter. The board works in the office of Minister Sonia Guajajara.

Mura, Munduruku and Gavião indigenous people from seven villages were ignored in the execution of the gas projects, according to the documents. There are about 190 families.

In May, the Federal Court in Amazonas suspended the licenses granted by Ipaam for gas and oil exploration in Campo Azulão, in the hydrographic basin of the Amazon River. Eneva filed an appeal against the decision, which was accepted by the TRF (Federal Regional Court) of the 1st Region, guaranteeing the validity of licenses.

At the time, in a note, the company said that gas production in Campo Azulão is essential to guarantee the supply of electricity in Roraima.

“Any suspension of services will jeopardize the energy supply of more than 600,000 Brazilians throughout the state of Roraima,” he said. “Eneva reinforces that it complies with all the requirements provided for by current legislation. Canceling public hearings is preventing civil society from debating the project with transparency and deciding what is best for the region.”

The action was filed by Aspac (Silves Association for Environmental and Cultural Preservation) and by an association that represents Mura indigenous people.

According to the lawsuit, the licensing was done without environmental impact studies and without consultation with indigenous and quilombola communities that would be impacted by gas and oil exploration.