Action plan for oil spills at sea is postponed.
Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy has postponed until next week the finalization of a document containing measures for cases of major oil spills at sea; technicians have requested changes.
Agência Brasil – The conclusion of the National Contingency Plan (PNC), promised by the Minister of Mines and Energy (MME), Edison Lobão, for yesterday (20), has been postponed to next week. Some of the technicians from the 14 ministries responsible for the final document, which will contain the measures to be taken in cases of large oil spills in waters, requested adjustments to the text.
According to the MME press office, the wording will be changed, but it will not represent major alterations to the content of the PNC. This week, Edison Lobão explained, during a hearing in the Senate, that the plan establishes parameters for the proportion of accidents and ways to reduce the environmental impact of spills.
The document should also define the actions to be taken by bodies such as the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the Navy, and the company responsible for oil exploration in the area. One of the last issues defined by the technicians was the source of funding to implement the measures. Minister Edison Lobão explained that all ministries will contribute resources.
The final text has not yet been released and requires approval from the ministers of the 14 portfolios, including the Ministries of Environment, Planning, and Mines and Energy, and the Navy Command. With the approval of the technical document, the PNC will be sent to the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic, which will publish a decree regulating the standard.