Sao Paulo, Brazil – The Federal Judge Boaventura Joao Andrade,of the State of Amazonas, has suspended the provisional licence conceded by IBAMA, the Brazilian environment agency, to Petrobras for the construction of the Urucu-Porto Velho gas pipeline. In the same civil public action, the judge ruled that IPAAM, the Institute for Environmental Protection in Amazonas, should be responsible for licensing the project for the Coari-Manaus pipeline.
Judge Alcantara considered that “the project…has a high degree of social, economic, strategic, technological and administrative relevance”. He added that the whole licensing process requires more “publicity, evaluation and greater transparency”.
Petrobras will have to follow the fourteen recommendations made by the Public Ministry in relation to the Environmental Impact Study presented by the company. The study is an obligatory part of the environmental licensing process and must fall within certain parameters.
The concession of Provisional Licence 133/2002 to Petrobras by IBAMA in August last year resulted in a certain amount of surprise. The Environmental Impact Study presented by Petrobras was considered to be incomplete, incorrect and imprecise by representatives of organised civil society, including scientists, members of social movements, non-governmental organisations and some officials in the state government.
(translated by Amigos da Terra- Amazonia Brasileira)
