MINING: Brazil tweaks rules for Amazon mineral development

RIO DE JANEIRO – Faced with overwhelming criticism from lawmakers and environmentalists, the government of Brazil plans to revise the rules for opening up a vast reserve in the Amazon Basin to exploration and mining. The prior decree will be rescinded and replaced with a new one. The new decree codifies existing protections for parts of the Renca area that will remain in place. The details were not spelled out in the previous version although there was provision to keep existing protections.