Brazil Judge Blocks Amazon Dam

Posted on Feb 26, 2011

AP / Eraldo Peres

Members of the Tucano tribe from the northern Brazilian state of Para protest outside the presidential palace in Brasilia last August against plans to build the Belo Monte dam.

Plans to build a giant hydroelectric dam in the Amazon have been suspended by a Brazilian judge after the project sparked local and worldwide concern over its impact on the environment and the indigenous population. —JCL

The Guardian:

The proposal to build Belo Monte, which would be the world’s third-largest hydroelectric dam, has sparked protests in Brazil and abroad because of its impact on the environment and native Indian tribes in the area.

A federal court in Para state, under judge Ronaldo Desterro, has halted plans for the construction because environmental requirements for the project had not been met. These included contingency plans to assure transportation along rivers where the dam is expected to reduce the water level sharply.

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