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Petrobras to Present Environmental Study for Bolivian Oil Project Amidst Local Opposition
🇧🇴 Bolivia /Environment & Climate

Petrobras to Present Environmental Study for Bolivian Oil Project Amidst Local Opposition

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Petrobras Bolivia will present the environmental impact study for its exploratory project Oso Domo X3 following a court order.
  • The presentation aims to inform local communities about the project, but some residents remain opposed and plan to boycott the sessions.
  • Opposition groups cite concerns over transparency, compliance with the Escazú Agreement, and insufficient time to review the extensive environmental study.

Petrobras Bolivia is scheduled to present the Environmental Impact Assessment (EEIA) for its exploratory project Oso Domo X3 to local communities. This presentation is mandated by a ruling from the Agro-environmental Judge in Entre Ríos, Bolivia.

With the purpose of facilitating the attendance of interested parties, two sessions have been scheduled, and you can participate in either of them.

— Gustavo CalderónPetrobras Bolivia's legal representative inviting community members to the environmental study presentation.

Technicians from Petrobras will unveil the study this Friday in Entre Ríos and again on Saturday in the community of Saicán. The company has organized two sessions to facilitate attendance for interested parties. Gustavo Calderón, the legal representative for Petrobras Bolivia, extended invitations to community leaders, including Roque Guerrero and Barbarita Meza, emphasizing the court-ordered nature of the disclosure.

However, the project faces continued resistance from a segment of the local population residing within the Tariquia National Flora and Fauna Reserve. Juan Mendoza, representing the Committee for the Defense of Tariquia, stated that they will not attend Petrobras's presentation. He cited the ongoing legal process initiated by the Ombudsman's Office and the rejection of a previous appeal as reasons for their non-participation.

We will not attend Petrobras's invitation because the process initiated by the Ombudsman has not concluded after the presentation of the cassation appeal on July 16.

— Juan MendozaJuan Mendoza, representative of the Committee for the Defense of Tariquia, explaining their boycott of the presentation.

Mendoza further argued that the process is an imposition by the oil company and fails to meet the standards of the Escazú Agreement, which mandates transparent information, participation, and state guarantees. Additionally, the opposition claims they were given only one week to review the five-volume environmental study, deeming the timeframe insufficient for a thorough analysis of the technical data related to the San Telmo Norte oil block's exploratory well.

Petrobras gave us one week to analyze the document containing technical data.

— Juan MendozaJuan Mendoza criticizing the short timeframe given to review the environmental study.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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