Meta Senator Maritza Martinez continues her push to modify the laws governing the General Royalty System (SGR), and said in a press interview that only 6% of approved royalty funds have been executed since the entry of the new system.
A number of Senators have dragged up old, incorrect and unsubstantiated claims, accusing the mining and oil industries of dodging taxes and hurting the national economy, claiming that up to CoP$30T (US$14.8B) of state funds have been lost. The senators also rejected the presence of vice ministers to comment on their accusations.
The future river port on the banks of the Magdalena River in Barrancabermeja being built by port and logistics firm Impala is now 40% finished, and company management expects to meet their deadlines and have started early operations before the end of 2014.
Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) is considering building an additional regasification plant in order to protect against supply deficits that could affect the country starting in 2018.
The Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and local authorities have established a fixed price for fuel on the shared border with Venezuela, as authorities from both countries look to limit the contraband fuel market.
Articles on fracking and unconventional oil and gas technologies in the Colombian press increased for the fourth week in a row. But this past week, the balance was positive.
The management of Emerald Energy met with local leaders from the Caquetá Department and demonstrated that discussing problems can lead to solutions. Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE) has advanced with its local hiring campaign in Casanare and Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) is active as ever, supporting puppet shows and literacy campaigns, among other projects. These and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stories in our periodic summary.
Water is a current industry issue and we start this month with an extended interview with Jaime Checa who works for Hocol, but is also the head of the Colombian Petroleum Geologists and Geophysicists Association.
The count dropped this week to 41, above long-term averages and slightly below the recent average, but new threats have appeared with implications for the post-conflict scenario.
After more than a month of protests from the Tesoro de Bubuy village in Aguazul, Casanare, oil operator Perenco has issued a statement to local media contesting allegations by protesters, which it says are merely a tool to obtain greater concessions from the company despite past agreements.