Under pressure, Ibama must respond about drilling at the mouth of the Amazon in 2024

The president of Ibama, Rodrigo Agostinho, announced that the response to Petrobras’ request to drill and prospect for oil at the mouth of the Amazon River will only be released at the beginning of 2024. The statement was given shortly after a meeting held with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on Wednesday (22), which also had the participation of Minister Marina Silva (Environment), among other members of the government.

Agostinho said that the Ibama team is analyzing the case, mentioning that there are more than one hundred Petrobras processes being processed at the agency. The decision on lot 059 in Foz do Amazonas has generated divisions in the Lula government, involving the environmental and political wings, as well as the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

“Ibama is doing priority work in relation to this. And, probably, at the beginning of the year, we will have some response related to this specific request. We still don’t have a conclusion on this, we know that Petrobras continues to carry out studies”, he told journalists.

President Lula called the meeting to align Brazil’s position against environmental crimes before COP28, which will be held next week in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Ibama has been under pressure from the political wing of the government to release licensing.

But also by non-governmental organizations to stop drilling. At the NGO CPI session at the beginning of the month, Agostinho admitted that Greenpeace questioned the licensing requested by Petrobras.

“Ibama continues to analyze Petrobras’ request, it wasn’t because of the corals, it wasn’t because of Greenpeace. Civil society is free to speak out for or against any type of development,” he said.

The possibility of prospecting for oil in Foz do Amazonas has generated controversy, evidenced by Ibama’s initial denial in May. Petrobras requested reconsideration, presenting new documents, including proposals to mitigate environmental impacts.

At the same time, the Federal Attorney General’s Office (AGU) issued an opinion that allowed progress in studies, diverging from previous positions. Minister Marina Silva clarified that technical criteria will guide the evaluation of the request.

Even without an environmental license at the mouth of the Amazon, the federal government has already included the project in the New Growth Acceleration Program (PAC). At least 47 projects will be carried out by Petrobras in the Equatorial Margin and, of these, 19 are located in the area that includes the mouth of the Amazon River.