today's news article Public defenders want gold mining suspension next to Belo Monte
Posted 31/01/2017 18:37
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Braslia, 31 - The Public Defender of the State of Par has filed a petition to the court requesting the suspension of the environmental licensing process of the Volta Grande project, which provides for gold mining below the Belo Monte Dam, a hydroelectric dam under construction in the Xingu River in Par. According to information released by the Ombudsman, the injunction is based on the lack of land regularly in the project installation area. "The installation would generate, as a consequence, a socio-environmental impact for the indigenous population, garimpeiros and agroextractivist families", affirms the organ; The injunction was filed against the Canadian company Belo Sun, which owns the project, and the State of Par. The administrative process for environmental licensing is being processed by the State Department of the Environment.
For the public agrarian defender, Andreia Barreto, there are numerous rural communities in the direct area of the enterprise and in the surrounding that face problems. "There is a lack of land regularization, agrarian conflicts and proximity with illegal logging, as is the case of a portion of Bacala State Gleba," he said. The area mentioned in the environmental licensing, according to the defendant, does not contemplate the real area in which the project will be installed. For the agency, "the impact will be great, because it will also affect low-income rural communities such as Ilha da Fazenda and the Itat community, which the license has excluded from the area that will be impacted." In 2013, the Public Defender 's Office filed a civil action, and an injunction against the company Belo Sun As reported by the newspaper published "O Estado de S. Paulo" last week, the government of Par is about to authorize Beginning the operation of the project, ignoring the conclusion of a technical opinion from the National Indian Foundation (Funai), which does not approve mining licensing due to flaws in the impact studies on indigenous communities. Belo Sun denies wrongdoing and affirms that it has complied with all legal requirements.