Oil-spill drills were carried out in Yopal and in Ecuador, meanwhile an actual oil spill and fire occurred after a tanker truck went off the road in Aguazul. These and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.
The Ministry of Environment (MinAmbiente) held its account rendering session for the year, and defined ambitious goals for reductions in greenhouse gases and expanding the amount of protected areas in Colombia, among other initiatives.
The Tumaco Department continues to suffer from the affects of the historic oil spill in the Mira River, meanwhile a bill was ratified that would protect the country’s parámos. These and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.
In Putumayo, community and indigenous groups are pushing to keep oil out, citing its environmental effects and position as a Farc target, and also are calling to curb coca eradication programs. Coca production has brought better returns for the community than legitimate crops.
Eduardo Pizano, the president of Colombia’s Natural Gas Association, Naturgas, urged the government to speed up the process to issue environmental licenses for the production of Coal Bed Methane (CBM), which he said could provide an alternative source to increase the country’s gas reserves.
A national paper highlighted three examples in Colombia’s Caribbean coast of how hydrocarbons firms are both complying with environmental standards and engaging the community to create successful and positive social and ecological impacts.
The mayors of Ortega, Purificación and Melgar in Tolima joined to vent their shared concerns on royalty distribution and expedited environmental licenses issued by the National Environmental Licensing Agency (ANLA).
Repeatedly cited as one of the drawbacks for the industry, the government announced a new framework for environmental licensing, and the Chamber of Oil Goods and Services (Campetrol) found that the proportion of licenses approved versus those filed has changed since the last year.
A local paper published a document from Caquetá professionals in the field of social research who see the region’s unique environmental riches and the impact on the social conflict as the main reasons why the region is not suited for oil production.
Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) exploration activities near Paz de Ariporo, Casanare have sparked protests over its supposed impact on the local water supply. This and other environmental stories in our periodic summary.
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