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.
The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbiente) Luz Helena Sarmiento is planning to present a legislative bill and new decree to “align environmental legislation to the needs required for climate control prevention”, which will likely include restrictions on seismic exploration.
Speaking before an industry audience in Cartagena the Minister of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) Amylkar Acosta offered a thorough defense of the industry, its practices and its role in regional economies.
Casanare oil operators and authorities have taken a more active reaction to the emergency drought conditions in the department to both offer support to communities affected and contradict criticism and allegations that oil production has caused the emergency. Critics still remain.
After widespread coverage of the drought in Casanare paired with accusations that oil production is causing it, the USO has come out and said that its work with the local community in Arauca could prevent the same tragedy from happening there as well.
Investments to meet emissions standards set by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable development have amounted to a CoP52B (US$26.4M) investment into Ecopetrol’s refinery business, only considering the Barrancabermeja Refinery.
A seismic exploration project being carried out by Pacific Rubiales is receiving increased resistance from local communities in Huila, where a number of government authorities, environmental activists and academics will organize a forum to discuss the matter.
Parex has held a press conference with local media outlets and looks to convince the local community that its plan to drill exploration wells in the Tinije Lagoon will be more environmentally safe than Spain’s Cepcolsa, who abandoned the project after community pressure.
The surrounding region of Paz de Ariporo is suffering a severe drought that has led to widespread deaths of native species and livestock, and the local press is speculating that the boom of the mining-energy sector is to blame.
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