Cablegate: Energy-Model Bill Vote Delayed Another Day

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000509

SIPDIS

NSC FOR DEMPSEY
DOE FOR GWARD
COMMERCE FOR 4332/WBASTAIN/JANDERSON/DMCDOUGALL
COMMERCE FOR 3134/010/DEVITO/ANDERSON/OLSON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG EINV EFIN PGOV ECON BR
SUBJECT: ENERGY-MODEL BILL VOTE DELAYED ANOTHER DAY

REF: A. BRASILIA 464

B. 03 BRASILIA 321
C. 03 BRASILIA 3940
D. 03 BRASILIA 2859

Other legislative priorities delayed yesterday's (March
3) scheduled vote on Brazil's new energy model (Ref A) by
one day. A Senate contact has told us the vote is expected
to take place later today (March 4) after a plenary debate
in the Senate, which we have confirmed was underway as of
early-afternoon local time. Industry representatives
continue to lobby furiously, including the visiting Duke
International President, who will meet with Minister of
Mines and Energy Dilma Rousseff this afternoon with a
request for eleventh-hour changes to render the new model
less detrimental to current private investors. It looks
unlikely that industry will achieve any such major changes
in the bill at this stage. If it were to do so, the
legislation would have to be returned to Congress's lower
chamber for reconciliation and a further vote there.

VIRDEN

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