Brazil Rejects Offshore Oil Drilling Request from State Oil Company

Brazil Rejects Offshore¹ Oil Drilling Request from State Oil Company

Brazil's environmental agency recently refused to give oil company Petrobras permission to search for oil under the ocean near the mouth of the Amazon River.

Petrobras is Brazil's state-run oil company.

The oil company wanted to start a drilling project near the northern coast of Brazil, in an area known as the Tapajos Basin. Activists² describe the area as "unique" and say it contains plants and coral reefs that are sensitive to chemicals. A number of environmental organizations pushed the agency to reject Petrobras' application.

When the environmental agency's leader, Rodrigo Agostinho announced his decision last week, he said the company did not fix some "technical inconsistencies" in its proposal.

The head of Petrobras is Jean Paul Prates³. He said the company has never had an oil leak during offshore projects. His word, however, was not enough to persuade the agency of the project's safety.

Petrobras noted⁴ that it would appeal the decision. The oil company believes exploring the northern coast is important for the nation's economy. Brazil's oil production, Petrobras said, is expected to reach its highest level soon and then start to drop off. The company planned to invest half of its $6 billion exploration budget for the next five years in the area.

Agostinho called the area "a new exploratory frontier with high... vulnerability" in his announcement.

Groups such as the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace were among the organizations asking the agency to reject Petrobras' request.

Another group was Health and Happiness, a Brazilian nonprofit led by Caetano Scannavino. He was pleased with the decision and said it was an example of "prioritizing science in the service of the collective."

He went on to say any mistake in the area would hurt the environment. If the agency had permitted drilling, he said, it would be going against the Brazilian government's "promise of a decarbonized future."

The Climate Observatory⁵ is a network of environmental nonprofit groups. It said the agency is protecting an "unknown ecosystem⁶ and maintains the coherence⁷ of the Lula government."

Brazil's president is Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He had been president from 2003 to 2010 and permitted offshore drilling during that term. The large oil projects helped pay for improvements in Brazilian health, education and welfare programs. Some members of Lula's Workers' Party political group consider oil money as a way to increase social spending.

Lula now says he supports the environment. His promises about protecting the Amazon rain forest helped him win last year's election over former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Experts and activists say Lula's reputation would be hurt if his government permitted the offshore drilling project.

Suely Araujo is a former head of Brazil's environment agency and now works with the Climate Observatory. Araujo said the decision to block the drilling project means Brazil should also start to end its dependence⁸ on fossil fuels, like oil and gas.

However, not everyone from the area close to the drilling site was pleased with the decision. Randolfe Rodrigues is a senator from Amapa State, the state that stood to gain the most if Petrobras found oil.

He said the restriction⁹ on oil exploration will hurt the development of Amapa. He said he would put a group together to fight the decision.

Petrobras said its proposal did not violate any requirements set forth¹⁰ by the government, and its exploration area was far away from the river. The oil company said it would continue to look for new drilling areas, but also work to find a way to drill in the area it first targeted.

There are other projects for the environment agency to consider. They include the repair of a highway through the rain forest, construction of a major railway for transporting grain and the renewal¹¹ of a hydroelectric dam's operating permit.

Words in This Story

inconsistency –n. the quality of not having all parts agreeing with each other or of not being the same

frontier –n. an area that distant from where people are and is not known well

vulnerability –n. a weakness or a quality that permits something or someone to be hurt or damaged

prioritize –v. to make something important so it will be dealt with soon

decarbonized –adj. (environmental) related to effort to reduce the amount of carbon-based fuels used for energy

ecosystem –n. everything that exists in a particular environment and that is connected with its surroundings

coherence –n. the quality of being well organized and logical

reputation –n. other peoples' opinion about a person

1 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 prates   

v.（古时用语）唠叨，啰唆( prate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

6 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

7 coherence   

n.紧凑；连贯；一致性

参考例句：

• There was no coherence between the first and the second half of the film.这部电影的前半部和后半部没有连贯性。
• Environmental education is intended to give these topics more coherence.环境教育的目的是使这些课题更加息息相关。

8 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

9 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

11 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。