Looking to brush off concerns that the recent vote against oil production in the Tauramena Municipality, The Minister of Mines and Energy (MinMinas), Amylkar Acosta said that the government has been meeting with local authorities and there are already laws on the book that adequately address the protection of water resources.
The USO sounded off against last week’s destitution of Bogotá mayor Gustavo Petro, calling it a “crooked persecution against the union and social movements and political left in general in favor of the neoliberal model and extreme right”, and said the situation is comparable to arrests of members on December 4.
The Municipality of Tauramena, Casanare held its public referendum on Sunday, December 15th and those who came out voted a sounding no, although the total turnout amounted to just over 34% of the population, narrowly passing the 33% turnout needed for the vote to be valid.
The government engaged a multi-pronged push back against a public referendum that looks to reject oil production near municipal water sources in Tauramena, Casanare which included ministers and Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) president Javier Gutiérrez.
A selection of statements and stories on different oil companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs that made local press during November/December.
Due to a more complicated process and requirements to get royalty projects approved by the National Planning Department (DNP), Colombia’s Federation of Municipalities wants an increase in the funds available to each entity to prepare royalty projects for submission.
In the third national meeting of Colombia’s four main workers unions the organizations formed a proposal to increase the minimum salary by 8%, and an increase in transport subsidies of 12% starting in 2014.
Only a day after Ecopetrol and Talisman announced a major discovery in CPO-9, comes this story about complaints of odors in another part of the municipality of Acacias, Meta.
The USO announced the results of their election at the end of November, and the new president Edwin Castaño Monsalve´s first task was to lead an alert that three members of the union have been detained in what the organization calls a judicial set up for actions against Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE).
The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbiente) have agreed to create a protocol and environmental guide for contractors to follow, citing in particular seismic exploration activities.