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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).

Community objections on local hiring practices in Barrancabermeja have fueled several conflicts with companies recently, despite prior agreements and leading to a suspension of activities at the La Cira Infantas field. These and other stories on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in our periodic summary.

The consequences of the fall in oil prices look more severe with each passing month, as producing municipalities have suffered a perfect storm of corruption, poor management, regulatory changes, dwindling royalties and high resident expectations.