Brazil's environmental authority on Thursday granted an initial permit that will allow a major highway to be paved through the center of the Amazon rainforest, the minister of infrastructure said, in a move that threatens to increase deforestation.
Right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro on the campaign trail had pledged to repave the road, called BR-319, that would connect the largest Amazon city of Manaus year-round to the rest of Brazil.
Bolsonaro's weakening of environmental protections has already spurred soaring deforestation, with clearances of the Brazilian Amazon hitting a 15-year high in 2021. "In an alignment of engineering and respect for the environment, we are going to take the society of Amazonas state out of isolation," he wrote.The initial license will allow the government to contract companies to pave the largest middle section of the road that is in worst condition. Contractors will draw up plans but would need another permit in order to begin construction.
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