I de senere år er der fundet stadig mere olie i havet ud for Brasilien. Mens den politiske debat mest har gået på, hvilke lande olien tilhører, presser miljømæssige spørgsmål sig på.
Brazil has announced it is fining US oil company Chevron 28 million US dollar for causing an oil spill off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, BBC online reports on Tuesday.
Chevron has accepted responsibility, saying it had underestimated the pressure of underwater oil deposits while drilling (bore).
Brazilian Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira said Chevron could face further fines if an investigation into the spill revealed more infractions (overtrædelser).
Chevron says the leak has been plugged.
The head of Chevron’s Brazil operation, George Buck, told BBC online that the company had underestimated the pressure of underwater oil deposits while drilling, causing oil to rush up the bore hole and seep into the surrounding seabed.
According to Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency (ANP), the leak released between 200 and 330 barrels a day at the height of the spill.
Police environment experts have been trying to assess the scale of the latest spill.
They have also questioned the methods Chevron was using to clean up the spill.
In recent years Brazil has discovered billions of barrels (tønder) of oil in deep water that could make it one of the world’s top five producers.
So far there has been little public debate about the environmental dangers of offshore drilling.
Political discussion has instead focused on how future oil revenues should be divided between different states, BBC online reports.
