Oil And Gas Exploration, Mining, And Electric Power On Indigenous Lands Are Authorized By The Government

The Government Project Aims to Regulate Mining, Oil Production, Gas, and Electricity Generation on Indigenous Lands

The Government’s bill to regulate mining, oil production, gas, and electricity generation on indigenous lands was signed on Wednesday, the 5th, by President Jair Bolsonaro. About 18 thousand workers on 50 platforms went on strike. TST blocks union accounts and authorizes Petrobras to hire subcontractors

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The president says that “Indians are as Brazilian as we are” and that, if he could, he would confine environmentalists in the Amazon.

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Before being sanctioned by the president, the bill will be analyzed by the National Congress and must be approved by the plenary of the Chamber and the Senate.

The signing of the text took place during a ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto in celebration of Bolsonaro’s 400 days in power. In a speech, Bolsonaro stated that the release of indigenous reserves for mining is a “dream,” an old promise of his government.

“I hope that this dream, through the hands of Bento (Minister of Mines and Energy) and the votes of the parliamentarians, becomes a reality. The Indian is a human being just like us. He has a heart, feelings, a soul, desires, needs, and is as Brazilian as we are,” said the president.

The Chief Minister of the Civil House, Onyx Lorenzoni, also spoke out, comparing the measure to a sort of new “Golden Law.”

“For today, Mr. President, with your signature, it will be liberation, that is, from now on we will have the autonomy of indigenous peoples and their freedom of choice. It will be possible to mine, generate energy, transmit energy, explore oil and gas, and cultivate indigenous lands. In other words, it will be the Golden Law,” declared the minister.

The exploration of minerals on indigenous lands is a possibility foreseen by the 1988 Constitution, but as a specific rule with criteria and procedures has never been approved, it is currently an illegal practice in the country.

The government’s project aims to regulate mineral and energy exploration, such as oil and gas, in reserves. Indigenous communities will have veto power over mining activities but will only be consulted in advance in cases of energy exploration, which includes the construction of hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants, for example.

The text also allows indigenous people to economically explore their lands through activities such as agriculture, livestock, and tourism, currently prohibited in the reserves.

Since Bolsonaro announced that his government was preparing to send the bill to Congress, NGOs and specialists have been criticizing the economic exploitation measure in villages. The president even mocked environmentalists on Wednesday, stating that if he could, he would confine these activists in the Amazon to stop them from interfering.

“Are we going to suffer pressures from environmentalists? Ah, those people from the environment, right? If one day I can, I will confine them in the Amazon since they love the environment so much. And let them stop interfering with the Amazonians from within urban areas,” he declared.