NYTIMES/ UPDATE 17 Abril/ A judge in Brasilia has overturned a ruling that suspended bids to build the mammoth Belo Monte dam in the Amazon. "I am confident the environmental license will be granted to Belo Monte," said Pedro Alberto Bignelli of the environmental protection agency. "The result of three years of work and analysis will be upheld when the government appeals." Brasil's need for new energy sources was apparent last year after a blackout darkened much of the nation. Belo Monte would supply 6% of electricity by 2014, when Brasil hosts the World Cup and two years before the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Environmentalists and indigenous groups believe Belo Monte will wipe-out wildlife and the livelihoods of 40,000 people and argue that most of the energy will go to big mining operations.
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