A year after a blockade and protest led to intervention from riot police and national attention, residents in Valparaiso, Caquetá have again opposed reactivated exploration activities. This depicts the challenge for the industry to reach areas with potential for oil production that have previously been off limits due to the armed conflict.
Another conflict brewing in Putumayo has come about after a community fully-rejected a seismic program in its territory during a prior consultation, but the license was granted, providing a test case on the limits of the process.
Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has signed onto one of the largest efforts in Colombia to protect endangered wildlife species, in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and others. This and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.
In Meta the Vice Minister of Labor Francisco Javier Mejía said that only 6000 jobs have been shed in recent months, less than what has been reported, while Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) says that its local hiring in the department is meeting its promises. These and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stories in our periodic summary.
The reversion of the Rubiales field to Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) must result in a substantial improvement to the quality of life for communities in its vicinity, said Senator Maritza Martínez, who added that she will present a constitutional reform to return a greater share of royalties to producing regions.
The Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (COLCIENCIAS) and the National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) decided to give to Colombian professionals the opportunity to continue training abroad through a contest that supports the human capital of the hydrocarbon sector. We attended the kick off meeting and brought back this report.
Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) through its subsidiary Ecodiesel, has helped create 10,000 jobs and cleaner biofuels in Barrancabermeja thanks to an alliance with different palm oil firms in the Middle Magdalena.
The USO says that it has formally started negotiations with services firm Weatherford, in which greater union rights and benefits for its affiliates are the issue. The union accused the firm of aggressive tactics against its members.
Meta’s capital Villavicencio has seen an increase in unemployment due to the cutbacks in the oil industry, although the city has also seen a social housing boom in the last year. Mayor Wilmar Barbosa is concerned this trend could also be affected.
The Minister of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) Germán Arce attended the official handover of the Rubiales field and said that the field was never really under any ownership other than the Colombian public, and its resources are needed for the post conflict transition.
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