LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr.'s season is ended by a knee injury, coach confirms
2 men charged with distributing drugs that killed transgender activist Cecilia Gentili, prosecutors say
RFK Jr. asks Supreme Court to keep his name on New York ballot despite Trump endorsement
Top U.N. officials on Gaza: 'These atrocities must end'
Researchers uncover remains of Ice Age mastodons in Peru
US sends additional forces to Middle East as tensions soar, Pentagon says
Toyota cheated on forklift engine emissions, lawsuit in US claims
Blackrock secures Italy's approval to hold more than 3% in Leonardo
Stephen & Evie Colbert offer a cookbook that's also a window on their lives
What detail political author says is 'unusual' about Melania Trump's paid appearance
By Rodrigo Viga Gaier
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The ongoing strike at Brazil's environmental agency Ibama is impacting the analysis of Petrobras' request to drill a well in the Equatorial Margin, an Ibama official told Reuters on Thursday. Itagyba Neto, who handles the agency's licensing for marine and coastal ventures, added that Petrobras has still not sent to the agency important details about how the drilling could impact Indigenous communities in the region.
"There is no deadline for the (regulator's) opinion," Neto told Reuters on the sidelines of an event in Rio de Janeiro, adding that if it wasn't for the strike, a decision would "likely" have already been reached.
Petrobras has been seeking to explore the northernmost part of the Equatorial Margin near the mouth of the Amazon River, but its request was shot down by Ibama in May of last year due to concerns over impact on Indigenous communities and the environment.
Since then, the state-run firm has been waiting for the agency to rule on an appeal.
The region is considered to be the most promising frontier for oil exploration for Petrobras as it shares similar geology with nearby Guyana, where Exxon Mobil is developing huge fields.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Fabio Teixeira; Editing by Kylie Madry)
