Brazil's Environmental Agency yesterday rejected the application for a licence to drill in the mouth of the Amazon Basin by the French company Total operating in a joint venture with BP.
The decision from the Brazilian Environmental Agency is a serious blow to Total’s drilling plans, after years of attempts to start operating in the region.
Environmental organisation Greenpeace described the latest development as an important step towards defending the Amazon Reef, a unique and largely unexplored ecosystem - Total's closest block is only 8km away from the Reef.
In a statement Ibama’s President, Suely Araujo, said that Total had not provided adequate information about the environmental impact of the project, making it impossible to grant the licence. The company’s own Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that there is a 30% probability of oil reaching the Reef in case of a spill.
Among the flaws listed by Ibama on Total´s Environmental Impact Assessment, the oil dispersion modelling and potential cross border risks to French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela and Caribbean archipelagos. The note also highlights the lack of information about possible impacts to the welfare of mammals, turtles and birds that live in the region.
The company still has another chance to send additional documentation as requested by Ibama.
Suely Araujo, Ibama’s president, commented:
“This will be the third and last time that the Agency is willing to allow Total to provide adequate information about the environmental impact of the project. If Total does not adequately address the outstanding requests from the technical team, the licensing process will be finally archived.”
More than 1.2 million of people all around the world have called Total and BP to cancel their plans to drill for oil near the Amazon Reef.
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