President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday (5) that one day he hopes to restrain environmentalists in the Amazon region so that they will stop disturbing him. Bolsonaro made the declaration after he praised a bill that authorizes mining and electricity generation in indigenous lands.
According to government technicians, the project aims to regulate mineral and energy exploration, such as oil and gas.
For mining activities, indigenous communities will have veto power. For energy exploration, such as the construction of hydroelectric or thermoelectric plants, the government will only consult indigenous beforehand.
"Are we going to suffer pressure from environmentalists? Ah, these environmental people, right? If I can one day, restrain them in the Amazon since they like the environment so much. And them stop from disturbing the Amazonians from here inside the urban areas," he said.
The bill to authorize mining on indigenous land is an old promise of Bolsonaro, and the government studied the measure last year. Bolsonaro made the declaration and presented it during a ceremony celebrating 400 days of government, held at the Planalto Palace.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon