Bolsonaro administration signs two decrees that favor mining activity and gold digging

The president Jair Bolsonaro published decree No. 10,966, which established the “Program of Support for the Development of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining” (Pro-Mape), with the goal of fostering “sustainable regional and national development”, with the Legal Amazon as a priority region. In practice, this is an action to support gold digging. The text also announces the creation of the Interministerial Commission for the Development of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (Comape) to support the implementation of the program. He also released decree No. 10.965 amends the regulations of the Mining Code, obliging the National Mining Agency to adopt “simplified criteria” for the analysis of processes and licences.

Escolhas Institute, which studies the illegal gold mining chain in the Amazon and recently published the study “X-Ray of Gold: more than 200 tons may be illegal”, released a statement highlighting the critical points of the measures and requesting the revocation of the acts. “The two decrees further weaken the almost non-existent control in the gold digging chain. Instead of establishing more rigid criteria for controls and inspection, which are necessary on the part of the federal government, they stimulate the activity that today is one of the main threats to the Amazon forest and its peoples,” says the text.

There was also a reaction from Congress against the measures. Congressman Reginaldo Lopes asked for the suspension of the act through a legislative decree project.