News and AnalysIs for

It has been over a year and four months since a Farc attack on the Transandino Pipeline spilled more than 410,000 gallons of oil into the bay of Tumaco in Nariño, and now residents accuse the government of doing little to remedy their situation. This and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.

The national government and Gran Tierra Energy (TSX:GTE) have signed a voluntary agreement to recovery bodies of water affected by oil production in the Villamarquesa village, in Putumayo. This and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.

The Ministry of Environment (MinAmbiente) said that it has formed a special committee in Putumayo which will mitigate the effect of “inadequate practices of hydrocarbons production”. The committee includes 13 mayors and local authorities and institutions.

The Regional Autonomous Corporation Corporinoquia has found itself the center of attention in Casanare involving a number of environmental issues from the Charte River, a legal dispute with Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and a waste processing plant closure. These and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.

Is it a leak or is that oil seeping from the ground? A peculiar instance of environmental problems has occurred in Barrancabermeja in the Campo 23 village, after oil started seeping from the area. Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) responded but says it is a natural occurrence.

Caquetá congressional representative Harry González said that public order problems which have arisen following the start of hydrocarbons exploration activities show that a departmental popular referendum is necessary to see if the residents want to accept the activity.

Hocol’s plan to drill an exploration well in La Macarena in the CPO-16 block is churning up community opposition, and company representatives allege that there are activists feeding the community with bad information to increase resistance.

The last two weeks have seen a number of high profile oil spills due to attacks on pipelines, overturned tankers, flooding and damaged road infrastructure. These and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.

A municipal hearing was held in San Juan de Arma as anti-oil advocates call for the National Agency of Environmental Licenses (ANLA) to revoke the licenses it has granted to Hocol in the nearby area.

Looking to end a surge of strikes in Putumayo, the Ministry of Environment (MinAmbiente) said it will lead in creating an “inter-institutional committee” for the department. The ministry said it was to deal with “inadequate hydrocarbons practices,” but its statement talked exclusively about illicit crop eradication.