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We had been saying that a number of the ANH’s recent initiatives were more likely to produce gas rather than crude oil.

Geopark (NYSE:GPK) reported production gains in its consolidated operation and in Colombia, which now accounts for 67% of its production, but saw a strong drop in revenues and posted a loss for 2015 due to the oil price.

The USO said that a meeting with Barrancabermeja and Santander Departmental authorities was successful and that the coalition has agreed to a program to force Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and the government to review the modernization of the city’s refinery.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy published a draft of its 2016 strategic plan in February for comments, and the hydrocarbons industry’s priorities were meager at the very best. A new minister means an opportunity to address the agenda but we think oil and gas may be even further down their priority list than it was for Tomás González.

Hocol reassured the San Juan de Arama Municipality that despite alarms being sounded that it had an imminent plan to extract crude from oil sands, it has no plans to do so and its environmental license does not contemplate it either.

The deadline agreed to back in September 2015 of March 23^rd is coming up quick, and President Juan Manuel Santos has been insisting that it be met, but has also recently sought to find some wiggle room as a final agreement by that date looks unlikely.

The National Planning Department performed an analysis to determine which departmental governments, municipalities and other executive royalty entities of the country are best managing royalty resources.

Emboldened by the resignation of the Minister of Mines and Energy Tomás González over potential energy rationing (among other issues), Colombia’s Senate has also called for the resignation of the members of the Energy and Gas Regulation Commission (CREG).

The Colombian Chamber of Oil Goods and Services (Campetrol) has called on the government to allow the delay of tax payments as another measure to support oil companies impacted by the low price of oil.

Parex Resources (TSX:PXT) reported an increase in production in 2015 and said that its net loss had shrunk compared to the previous year, adding that it has also cleaned up its debt and remains poised for the year to come.