The Meta governor Alan Jara rejected the work pace of the OCAD entities, those which oversee, approve and pay for projects involving royalty funds, and accused them as being not more than a centrist tool to administer the funds.
An environmentalist group (La Mesa Hídríca del Piedemonte) which focuses on water issues in the Meta Department, has gathered and submitted 20,000 signatures rejecting oil production work in the nearby Lorito 1 well, in the Guamal municipality.
A forum organized by social activist Ólder Alexis Cáceres on conflict and policies on natural resources claims hydrocarbons reform to protect natural resources is a must for lasting peace. Resources must be protected from profit-driven private industry, activists argue.
Senator Maritza Martínez said during a senate debate that the environmental and social damage caused by exploration and production in Arauca, Casanare and Meta are a cause of concern and create the need for public referendums like the one scheduled in Tauramena, Casanare.
The Colombian Association of Truckers has staged a blockade in Casanare, demanding that Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE) favor local truckers over regional or foreign providers and pay a standby fee for waits incurred prior to loading.
The municipality of Monterrey has presented a socialization of the Odisea 3D seismic exploration project and its environmental impact to the municipal council so that council members can issue a statement regarding the project and possible bring it to a public referendum.
A chain of events set off by a truck loaded with 230 barrels of crude crashing on a Putumayo highway which led then to a spill which reached the Magdalena river, has moved local authorities to ban a number of transport companies from operating and heavy trucks from using their normal routes in Huila.
The USO republished a press release from the office of Colombian Senator Alexander Lopez, in which he highlights a report issued by US congressional members that decry labor conditions in Colombia.
In December the Tauramena municipality will hold a public referendum to approve or reject nearby oil production in certain, named villages and now in Aguazul municipal leaders are looking to do the same and get the public to vote on Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) Odisea 3D seismic exploration program.
A local activist and former politician has insisted authorities apply measures to limit tanker-truckers on main highways in Villavicencio Meta, demonstrating the context and need for more agreements on roads between the industry, local authorities and the community in general, like the one signed last week in Casanare.