The director of the National Hydrocarbons Agency Javier Betancourt says that the exploration and production contract for the VSM-13 block, located along the Las Ceibas river will not go forward and that Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE), who holds the contract through an acquired subsidy Alange Energy, wants to end the concession.
The use of oil, gas and minerals finder technology (OFT) which harnesses satellite imagery to identify mineral content has been in Colombia for around three years, but technology suppliers say that it is only recently gaining interest for exploration.
A panel of authorities and experts led by the Vice-minister of Energy Orlando Cabrales participated in a seminar organized by the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) to highlight a number of policies designed to better communicate environmental practices and facts with the community in Casanare.
During the debate on the Casanare drought in Colombia’s Senate, the Minister of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) Amylkar Acosta addressed accusations that oil production is depleting water resources in Casanare and addressed the increased seismic activity in Puerto Gaitán, Meta, saying that scientific research must confirm the causes.
The drought in Casanare continues to draw headlines even if rains have reached the region. Relating oil production to the problem has become a convenient fact for the anti-oil lobby.
Senator Martiza Martínez, a regular critic of the oil industry in Colombia’s senate, says that oil companies should stop receiving tax benefits due to the damage she says that exploration and production activities do to the environment, and that a new “green tax” should be created as well.
Rain has reached Casanare’s Paz de Ariporo alleviating the ongoing drought which has affected the local community. But officials are now warning the rain could lead to widespread water contamination due to the high amount of animal carcasses, and accusations that the oil industry is at fault for the situation continue to fly.
In Orito, Putumayo a group of around 100 community leaders, activists and organizers met with Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) to discuss the alleged contamination of local rivers and streams, but considered the NOC’s explanations insufficient.
The mayor of Meta’s capital Villavicencio Juan Guillermo Zuluaga has called for a green tax for oil companies to compensate financially for the environmental toll on the producing and surrounding region.
The Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) has been coordinating an effort to get expert opinion on the causes of the drought affecting Paz de Ariporo, and that its roots are not firmly in the oil industry. But a persistent community movement continues to finger oil.
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