Indigenous Brazilians Push Back Against State Oil Drilling Plan

Indigenous¹ Brazilians Push Back Against State Oil Drilling Plan

Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras, wants to look for oil near the nation's northeastern coast.

Ibama is Brazil's environmental agency. The agency denied Petrobras' first proposal to do exploratory drilling last year over environmental worries. The indigenous people who live in the area also objected. But some political leaders, including President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, seem to support the oil company's appeal.

Last September, the president said the company should be able to "research" the oil possibilities in the area. He said it was a national interest. Energy minister Alexandre Silveira recently said Brazil should "know the potential" of what exists along the northeastern coast.

The support has energized² Petrobras' leader Jean Paul Prates³. Prates talked about the area, known as the Equatorial Margin⁴, as "perhaps the last frontier of oil for Brazil."

The company wants to start looking for oil in the area called Foz do Amazonas. It has that name because it is in the area of the mouth of the Amazon River. The area is thought to be similar to places off the coast of the South American country of Guyana, which is being explored by the Exxon oil company.

The head of Ibama is Rodrigo Agostinho. He said the agency would make a decision about giving Petrobras a license⁵ to explore the area early this year, but the decision has been delayed.

Reporting by Reuters news agency describes a growing indigenous campaign against Petrobras's appeal.

Funai is Brazil's agency for indigenous protection. Last December, the group asked Ibama to carry out studies on the effects of drilling in Foz do Amazonas. The studies must happen before Ibama can give a license to Petrobras.

In addition, an indigenous group called the CCPIO representing 60 villages in the area asked Brazilian federal government lawyers to look into the potential drilling license. They said their rights were being violated⁶.

In 2022, the government lawyers, or prosecutors⁷, slowed down the process. They said Ibama needed to consult the local communities. Documents seen by Reuters show the CCPIO asked the prosecutors to oversee⁸ 13-months of talks starting last December.

If the process continues without a change, the soonest Brazil could permit Petrobras to drill would be 2025. However, the country will be hosting the COP30 climate meeting, and it is unlikely Brazil would want to announce a new drilling plan at the same time.

Petrobras said a decision needs to be made and the time for talks with indigenous people has passed. The oil company said the consultations¹⁰ should have happened at the beginning of the process. However, CCPIO and federal lawyers said a consultation⁹ must happen before drilling is permitted.

Balancing promises

Da Silva's government promised to protect the Amazon area and indigenous groups. However, the president also knows the value of oil development. Reuters says he is trying to balance both sides.

Silveira, the energy minister, said a single successful drilling area could produce 5.6 billion barrels of oil. The discovery would be Brazil's biggest in more than 10 years.

Petrobras argues that a drilling area 175 kilometers off the coast will not affect the indigenous people of northern Brazil. But activists¹¹ say drilling could hurt the water environment and limit the native peoples' ability to fish and make a living.

The CCPIO noted¹² that it is not opposed to the search for oil, but it wants to be consulted before the exploration begins. Brazil signed an international agreement that says governments must talk with native groups before starting a project that might change their lifestyles.

Changes ahead

The news of a possible oil project starting next year has gotten the attention of migrant workers. A lawmaker in Amapá state, Inacio Monteiro, said workers are arriving in the town of Oiapoque looking for jobs in the oil industry although there are no jobs yet.

Monteiro said he talks with indigenous leaders all the time about the good oil could bring, including better social programs, more infrastructure¹³ like roads and bridges, new jobs and money from taxes.

However, local people like 25-year-old Luene Karipuna are concerned. She told a group at the COP28 climate meeting in Dubai that politicians and Petrobras are trying to silence her people. She said her people are worried that an oil spill could bring in polluted water.

Indigenous leaders also worry that the support for protecting their land and waters is disappearing. They point to a 2023 hearing that Monteiro called just days after the first denial¹⁴ of Petrobras' license. Top leaders in Amapá state came together in Oiapoque to push again for the license. There were reports that a man wearing a white shirt and a traditional indigenous head covering said the native people supported drilling. However, CCPIO leaders said the man did not speak for them.

CCPIO's coordinator¹⁵, Cacique Edmilson Oliveira, said: "This is very concerning. That's why we are saying that we already feel threatened." He said Petrobras misreports the statements of Indigenous leaders. "We never sat down and reached an agreement for approval," he added

Words in This Story

indigenous –n. people who come from a place and have lived there a long time

potential –adj. something that could happen but that has not happened yet and might never happen

frontier –n. a place that is at the edge of civilization or at the edge of what is known

license –n. a document given by a government that gives the holder¹⁶ legal permission to do something

consultations –n. (pl.) a series of talks between two or more sides in which they share their opinions and thoughts

infrastructure –n. roads, bridges, power plants, and all the structures needed to have a modern society

1 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

2 energized   

v.给予…精力，能量( energize的过去式和过去分词 )；使通电

参考例句：

• We are energized by love if we put our energy into loving. 如果我们付出能量去表现爱意，爱就会使我们充满活力。 来自辞典例句
• I am completely energized and feeling terrific. 我充满了活力，感觉非常好。 来自辞典例句

3 prates   

v.（古时用语）唠叨，啰唆( prate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

4 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 violated   

亵渎( violate的过去式和过去分词 )； 违反； 侵犯； 强奸

参考例句：

• Note that thick, strong angles of tibia are not violated. 注意肥厚、结实的胫骨成角部分未受损坏。
• The soldiers violated the church by using it as a stable. 士兵们把教堂当马厩，亵渎了教堂。

7 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

8 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

9 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

10 consultations   

n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找

参考例句：

• Consultations can be arranged at other times by appointment. 磋商可以通过预约安排在其他时间。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Consultations are under way. 正在进行磋商。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 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》

12 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。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 denial   

n.否认；拒绝，拒绝给予

参考例句：

• The newspaper printed a denial of the untrue story.报社刊登了否认不实消息的声明。
• Her denial of my advice hurts me.她拒绝我的忠告伤害了我。

15 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

16 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。