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The mayor’s office of Yopal has scheduled a meeting with 10 area village leaders to discuss roadway needs in areas close to oil production sites in the municipality.

GeoPark, Equion, the OBL, OBC and Raven have all made the local news for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in oil production regions.

Casanare congressional representative Camilo Andrés Abril has called on figures in the central government to a debate on the impact of oil production in the department, alleging that very few operators are keeping promises with the local community and environment and that the government is doing little about it.

Following a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, the USO claimed solid advances in two claims against the Colombian government and oil producers that it presented last year to the International Labor Organization (ILO).

Casanare’s local paper published a succinct editorial offering a word of caution for residents and a warning for politicians: The boon days of oil royalties are gone so you had better be careful how the money is spent.

The recently appointed director of the National Planning Department (DNP) Tatyana Orozco defended the General Royalty System against recent criticism, saying that they are responsible for “works materializing in all of the regions”.

Promoting dialogue, attending to the community’s concerns and helping to resolve problems which affect residents is part of Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) mission says its VP of HSE and sustainable operations, Óscar Villadiego. If only it was that easy.

The major development related to the General Royalty System (SGR) in September was the arrival of a new director of its overseeing entity, the National Planning Department. Tatyana Orozco took the post September 11, 2013 to a backdrop of questions and criticism of royalty delays.

In Monterrey protestors have blocked access to a pumping station while in Paz de Ariporo a blockade of Grupo Carso’s oil producer Tabasco Oil reaches a 45 day milestone.

Two weeks after reaching a collective agreement with the contractor in charge of the expansion construction of the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar), CB&I (NYSE:CB&I) the USO says now the firm is engaging in anti-union practices that could even warrant its expulsion from Colombia.