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The government is mulling changes in the organization of the entities which approve royalty projects, the OCADS, to encourage large scale, high-impact initiatives instead of small scale, local pet projects, and to address a trend of stagnated advances. This is “contrary to the philosophy” of the royalty reforms, officials say. This and other royalty related stories in our periodic round-up.

Authorities and the El Centro settlement have agreed to form six work groups to talk local hiring, and protestors have lifted blockades of La Cira Infantas in Santander.

The fall in oil prices has set off a chain reaction which started in the producing regions but has now made its way much further and is changing the economic and social reality of the country.

The USO has jumped into the controversy surrounding the environmental license of Hupecol in La Macarena, warning of the damage which could occur from granting licenses like these.

Repeated calls for action from national authorities from Barrancabermeja politicians and residents earned them a meeting with Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) president Juan Carlos Echeverry. The NOC chief did not budge on decisions to not modernize the city’s refinery, but said it remains a strategic asset for the firm.

The Llanos Orientales and the Meta Department in particular lead the country in royalty irregularities according to an audit performed by the General Controller (CGR) in the second half of 2015.

Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) has opened its application process to accept university and technical students for company internships, and a university scholarship program from Gases de Occidente shows off some of its results. These and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) stories in our periodic summary.

The USO argues that health and environmental issues associated with fracking should move authorities to ban the practice in Colombia.

After an intervention from authorities and the community itself, the Constitutional Court decided to lift a suspension on production activities in the Ocelote-Guarrojo in Puerto Gaitán, Meta, since the suspension could cause more problem than it prevents.

Municipal council members in San Martín, Cesar have turned to national press to express their concerns on one of Colombia’s few fracking projects, led by ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP).