Apagamento do patrimônio cultural no processo de avaliação de impacto ambiental: análise da memória do “Padre Preto”

During the environmental licensing for infrastructure projects such as hydropower plants, it is common that the debate on social impacts revolves around the resettlement of affected populations. The impacts on cultural heritage are less discussed but equally important in the context of the Small Hydropower Plant (SHP) Saltinho do Itabapoana, in Bom Jesus do Itabapoana, Rio de Janeiro. If constructed, the SHP will impact an important heritage of the region, namely, the memory of ‘Padre Preto,’ whose history was overlooked in the socio-environmental studies. Building on this context, this article seeks to analyze how the topic was addressed in the licensing of the mentioned power plant. The evaluation of environmental studies and the licensing process suggests an attempt to manipulate information by the developers; it aims at reducing barriers to obtaining environmental licenses and obscure the memory of communities, thus constituting the existence of a socio-environmental conflict.