Ibama president reacts to Lula’s criticism and says he is used to “pressure”

The president of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), Rodrigo Agostinhoreacted to the charging of the President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) On the authorization of research for oil exploration in the so -called Foz do Amazonas.

Earlier, Lula criticized the delay in license release and said Ibama “seems to act against the government.” In an interview with Daily Radio FMfrom Macapá (AP), the president stressed that he wants oil exploration in the region.

“This is normal. If I didn’t like pressure, I wasn’t doing what I do. I also need to be fair. The president never pressured me for it, but from time to time there are enterprises that are emblematic and the whole society charges an answer. I see this very naturally, ”Augustine told The globe.

Despite the expectation of a meeting between the Civil House and Ibama to address the subject, Augustine said he was not warned about a new meeting, but stressed that there are constant dialogues on the subject.

“The Civil House is following this Pari Passu. There were recent meetings, not only because of this venture. There is the situation room of the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program), so every week we are there in meetings, ”said Augustine.

According to Augustine, there will hardly be a definitive response before March. He pointed out that Petrobras presented a new emergency plan in December, which is being analyzed by Ibama. In addition, the state -owned company is building an Oiapoque base (AP), 170 km from the exploration area, to streamline any accident responses.

The equatorial margin, a region of exploration and production of oil and gas, covers several maritime basins near the Ecuador line, including Foz do Amazonas, Pará-Maranhão, Barreirinhas, Ceará and Potiguar. The government also estimates that it can raise R $ 1 trillion with oil production in the region.

The defense of the exploitation of the equatorial margin is part of Lula’s commitment to the president of the Senate, David Alcolumbre (Union-AP), which represents the state of Amapá, where the area with potential of up to 30 billion barrels of oil is located.

In 2023, Ibama denied the license to Petrobras, and since then the state -owned company has been working to meet the required environmental requirements. Despite Lula’s criticism of the delay in authorization, the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silvahe stated that neither his folder nor the Ibama “make it difficult or facilitate” licensing processes, noting that the environmental impacts of large enterprises are a concern of the government.