RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil’s public prosecutor’s office requested the government be forced to activate its national plan to minimize damages caused by an oil spill contaminating the nation’s northeast coast, including popular tourist beaches. It alleges the government’s response has thus far been “silent, inert, inefficient and ineffective” in the face of the spreading crude. In 2013, the government created a contingency plan to mitigate damages and avoid public health risks in the case of future oil spills. Among other directives, it calls for the formation of a unified command centre for operations to broaden the state’s response. The government’s response has been criticized by oceanographers and environmental NGOs including Greenpeace.

Source: thestar October 18, 2019 22:30 UTC