News and AnalysIs for

Outcry over plans to increase the price natural gas as it is fixed by the market has led to an agreement between the government and industry to postpone planned rate increases this month.

High level negotiations between the government and community leaders are rumored to be underway, which could produce a bill that would establish a clearer system for the prior consultation process for mining, energy and infrastructure projects.

Benchmark crude oil prices peaked in the week of June 14 to 20 and have fallen virtually every week since then.

The overall count increased to 24 this week, below recent and long-term averages but non-Armed Forces reported incidents declined. This means the increase was due to Army-related activity.

The overall count decreased again to 18 this week, below recent and long-term averages. This week both Armed Forces and non-Armed Forces reported incidents declined.

The overall count decreased again to 23 this week, below recent and long-term averages. But as the graph shows, this was because of a decline in Armed Forces-reported activities. Our proxy for guerrilla-initiated incidents remained the same.

We are in end-of-year vacations and, if only for a brief period, we will spend more time thinking about family (hopefully) than work.

The Farc have grabbed headlines this week after unilaterally declaring a bilateral, indefinite cease fire.  That is, the guerrilla says that as long as it is not attacked by government troops, it will not attack either. But that starts on December 20^th and, in the meantime, they blew up the Transandino pipeline.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) says that the company is still weighing its options regarding unonventional production in the Middle Magdalena Valley, and that it has yet to present a request for the environmental license to proceed with E&P projects.

Gran Tierra Energy (TSX:GTE) has announced a US$310M Capex program for 2015, with a US$156M spending program for Colombia, as the company says it remains flexible to an uncertain price scenario.