By Rodrigo Viga Gaier
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The ongoing strike at Brazil's environmental agency Ibama is impacting the analysis of Petrobras' request to drill a well in the Equatorial Margin, an Ibama official told Reuters on Thursday. Itagyba Neto, who handles the agency's licensing for marine and coastal ventures, added that Petrobras has still not sent to the agency important details about how the drilling could impact Indigenous communities in the region.
"There is no deadline for the (regulator's) opinion," Neto told Reuters on the sidelines of an event in Rio de Janeiro, adding that if it wasn't for the strike, a decision would "likely" have already been reached.
Petrobras has been seeking to explore the northernmost part of the Equatorial Margin near the mouth of the Amazon River, but its request was shot down by Ibama in May of last year due to concerns over impact on Indigenous communities and the environment.
Since then, the state-run firm has been waiting for the agency to rule on an appeal.
The region is considered to be the most promising frontier for oil exploration for Petrobras as it shares similar geology with nearby Guyana, where Exxon Mobil is developing huge fields.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Writing by Fabio Teixeira; Editing by Kylie Madry)