A Casanare land owner is accusing Lewis Energy Colombia of working outside the bounds of its environmental license, which she says has affected a local river and flooded her land, and that the company has also been under reporting its production, while one report suggests the dispute is about compensation for production rights on her land.
Following a blockade that limited access to the Rubiales field by local truckers that want a larger role in the transport of crude, Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has announced a new contractor selection process designed to open opportunities for local suppliers.
Senator Maritza Martínez criticized the government’s failure to address land right issues in the Llanos and sounded off on environmental issues, many of which she says stem from mining and hydrocarbons production. Tauramena should be seen as a wake up call for the government and environmental authorities, she argues.
A required step to implement large scale projects for the hydrocarbons industry and beyond, prior consultations are becoming an obstacle to new projects rather than a forum for dialogue. In 2013, numbers from the Interior Ministry confirms the process fails to produce an agreement 67% of the time.
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.
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