The Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais held a public hearing this Thursday morning (5) to discuss the possible consequences of the release of a mining project in Serra do Curral, in Nova Lima (in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte).
The state government enterprise last weekend granted the license for the Taquaril Mineração SA (Tamisa) enterprise, but the initiative was criticized by the city of Minas Gerais and environmentalists.
This Thursday’s meeting was marked by riots and protests from those present. The main conflict was due to the speaking time devoted to the defense of environmental licensing. Initially, the Superintendence of Priority Projects (Suppri) of the Secretary of State for the Environment and Sustainable Development would have 70 minutes to clarify 14 points of the project.
Panel members, such as deputy Beatriz Cerqueira (PT) and Belo Horizonte councilor Duda Salabert (PDT) protested against the difference in time dedicated to defending the project and the time dedicated to the other guests – who would have only 5 minutes each.
The meeting had to be interrupted and Deputy Noraldino Júnior (PSC), president of the session, changed the dynamics after the discussion. As a result, Suppri’s superintendent, Rodrigo Ribas, had 30 minutes to speak and environmentalist Jeanine Oliveira had 20 minutes to present a counterpoint.
During Ribas’ speech, representatives of environmental organizations and a large part of the audience present at the assembly turned their backs to the plenary.
Leandro Amorim, representative of Thames, stated that the company will start to install itself in the area to be mined later this year. According to him, the forecast is that this first phase of the project will last between one and two years, before the start of operations.
Amorim said that the Thames does not intend to back down from the project. He also stated that the population is poorly informed and, therefore, the repercussion of the environmental licensing for the enterprise is being negative.
Oliveira, a resident of the ParaÃso neighborhood, near Serra do Curral, said that the population of the impacted cities was not invited to participate in the discussions on mining licensing.
Also according to her, the edge of one of the project’s pits is less than 200 meters from the highest point of Pico Belo Horizonte. This, said the environmentalist, could cause the dispersion of ore particles that would reach the cities of Nova Lima, Belo Horizonte and Sabará.
Other points raised by her to criticize the project were the clearing of native green areas, the presence of caves in the region, the emission of pollutants and the impact on the region’s springs.
MarÃlia Carvalho de Melo, state secretary for the Environment and Sustainable Development, defended the licensing of the enterprise and said that the ministry had a technical role in the analysis of the process, and the decision was made by the counselors of Copam (State Environmental Policy Council).
One of the questions presented by the city of Belo Horizonte was the lack of consent from the municipality for the project. The state secretary replied that as the project is entirely located in Nova Lima, authorization from the capital of Minas is not necessary to release the undertaking.
Deputy Cristiano Siqueira (PT) stated that technical reports are also subject to questioning. According to him, the tragedies in Mariana and Brumadinho happened even with reports that attested to the safety and legality of the operations.
Deputy Ana Paula Siqueira (Rede) said that she is seeking support for the installation of a CPI in the Legislative Assembly on the case. According to her, so far 20 parliamentarians have signed the opening request – 26 names are needed.
“There is an ongoing process that analyzes the registration of Serra do Curral. By the simple fact that it is already under analysis, federal legislation allows for the provisional registration. said the deputy.
Representatives of the Public Ministry, Ibama, the State Department of Culture and Tourism and the president of Fiemg (Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais), as well as environmental organizations, also spoke at the hearing.
