HYDROELECTRIC LICENSING GRANTED IN
INDIGENOUS AREA
Boa Vista, Brazil Nov. 3,1994
Dear friends,
The Conselho Indigena de Roraima (Indigenous
Council of Roraima) and Comiss o Pr-Indio de S o
Paulo (Pro-Indian Comission of Sao Paulo) is
publicly denouncing the state of Roraima (Brazil)
for granting the Energy Co. of Roraima
environmental license to construct the Cotingo
Hydroelectric plant within the Indigenous area of
Serra do Sol.
The Cotingo Hydroelectric project represents a
great threat to the Macuxi and Ingarico indigenous
groups which live in Raposa Serra do Sol. This
project would inundate 3.700 hectares of
indigenous territory and force various Indian
villages to relocate. The negative impacts wont be
limited to the loss of indigenous territory but to the
construction of roads and a village for workers.
There will be consequences to bringing thousands
of workers into indigenous land for a period of no
less than five years. The state of Roraima, which
originally proposed the project, negates the serious
implications of constructing the hydroelectric plant
and negates the existence of any indigenous
territory whatsoever.
Since 1992, the Indigenous Council of Roraima
and the Pro-Indian Comission of Sao Paulo have
persued the government entities which are
responsible for the decisions at hand to denounce
the project and demand the implementation of
alternative solutions for the state of Roraima.
Recently, the Indigenous Council of Roraima and
the Pro-Indian Commission of Sao Paulo have refused the
RRelater of Environmental Impact for the Cotingo
HydroelectricS which was presented by the Energy Co. of
Roraima to the Interior Secretary of Justice and the
Environment, for the purpose of environmental
licensing of the project. The Relater of
Environmental Impact presented by the Energy Co.
of Roraima is no less than a farce which fakes legality just
as a game played with marked cards.
We denounce this document presented with no
scientific objectivity and dubious information which
limits the analysis of the situation at hand. The
document does not even mention the existence of
the indigenous area. In the same way, the
document fails to specify how many villages would
be inundated by the project.
The Environmental Department of Eletrbras
evaluated it as a Rpremature conclusion of studiesS
recommending the UHE Cotingo project not be
approved due to the effects it might have on the
environment.
Representatives of the indigenous community
took these criticisms to a public hearing held by the
Interior Secretary of the Environment and Justice of
Roraima in Boa Vista on Oct. 7,1994 with the
purpose of debating the problems of the UHE
Cotingo project.
Unfortunately, as was expected, the audience was
a formal event created to give a fake democratic
appearance and to debate a decision that had already
been taken by the government of Roraima. The
government, not only seeks to resolve the energy
problem of the state but to also oppose the
demarcation of the Indigenous Area Raposa Serra
do Sol. The governor of the state has publicly
opposed the demarcation.
A few days after the hearing, the Interior
Secretary of the Environment and Justice approved
the studies of environmental impact thus granting
the Energy Company of Roraima the environmental
license to work. The way we see it, the decision has
no legal base to stand on, since it wasnUt even
presented to the FUNAI or IBAMA.
Due to the present situation, we ask for the
support of all our friends to write to the Interior
Secretary of Justice of the state of Roraima, to the
Minister of the Environment, to the FUNAI, and to
the Procuradoria Geral da Republica rejecting the
license which has been granted and demanding the
participation of the FUNAI and IBAMA in the
process.
We also request that letters be sent to the
National Department of Water and Electric Energy
and Eletrobras not only rejecting the environmental
license but demanding it not be given to the Energy
Company of Roraima for the exploitation of the
Cotingo River, due to the threat posed to the
indigenous peoples.
We thank you for your support and send our
best regards,
Euclides Pereira, Conselho Indigena de Roraima
(Indigenous Council of Roraima), and Lucia Andrade
Comissao Pro-Indio de Sao Paulo (Pro-Indian
Commission of Sao Paulo) Addresses:
Gilberto Inacio de Araujo
Secretario Estadual do Meio Ambiente, Interior e
Justica
Av. Santos Dumont, 816
96.805-405 Boa Vista-Roraima, Brazil, fax (95) 224-
0995
Jose Said de Brito
Diretor Geral do DNAEE
Edificio Sede do DNC
FGAN - Q.603-Modulo J-Brasilia-DF
70.830-903 Brazil, fax (61) 226-0666
Jose Luis Alqueres
Presidente Eletrobras
av. Presidente Vargas 642 - 10< andar
20.071-001 Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Brazil, fax (21) 233-
3248
Dinarte Nobre de Madeiro
Presidente FUNAI
SEUP - Sul - Q. 702 Projecao A
Edificio Lex - Av. W 3 - Brasilia - DF 70.330-700
Brazil, fax (61) 226-8782
Ministro Henrique Brandao Cavalcanti
Ministerio do Meio ambiente
Esplanada dos Ministerios
Bloco B - 5< andar - Brasila - DF 70.068-900
Brazil, fax (61) 226-7101
Send CCs to: Comissao Pro-Indio de Sao Paulo
Rua Ministro Godoy 1498
Sao Paulo, SP 05015-900
Brazil