Brazil faces resistance over plans to drill for oil in Amazon rainforest [Video]

• State-run energy firm Petrobras faces resistance from Indigenous groups for its goal to open Brazil’s northern coast to oil drilling.
• An environmental agency denied Petrobras a license for exploratory drilling, citing potential impacts on Indigenous groups.
• Petrobras claims drilling won’t impact communities directly, but locals say they fear environmental damage.

State-run energy firm Petrobras has hit growing resistance from Indigenous groups and government agencies to its premier exploration project, which would open the most promising part of Brazil’s northern coast to oil drilling.

Environmental agency Ibama denied Petrobras a license for exploratory drilling offshore in the Foz do Amazonas area last year, citing possible impacts on Indigenous groups and the sensitive coastal biome. But a Petrobras appeal for Ibama to reverse its decision has drawn powerful political backing.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in September that Brazil should be able to “research” the region’s potential resources, given the national interest. Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira …