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The Minister of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) Germán Arce confirmed that the ministry is open to studying a proposal from the truckers association to lower the price of diesel, as a trucker strike drags on since the beginning of the month.

Claudia González Hernández, the interim director of the National Agency of Environmental Licenses (ANLA) insists that the entity is merely enforcing the standards and norms as stipulated by law, and that it is not responsible for any drop in investment in projects.

The National Planning Department (DNP) said that it has suspended, if only temporarily, royalty payments to 124 municipalities in 24 departments for not meeting the deadlines to notify authorities of the advances and current state of projects funded with royalty money. This and other royalty related stories in our periodic summary.

Rubén Darío Lizarralde, president of the Colombian Chamber of Oil Goods and Services (Campetrol) warned that the Constitutional Court’s recent decisions amount to “a direct attack against the sector and against foreign investment and the productivity of the country”.

The Finance Minister Mauricio Cárdenas said that the government does not expect to receive any income from oil industry profits in 2016, and instead will likely face CoP$800B (US$265.4M) in returned taxes for oil companies.

Senate President Luis Fernando Velasco accused the government of charging illegal taxes in its fuel price formula even after they were struck down by a Constitutional Court ruling and alleged citizens are essentially subsidizing Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC).

An urgent agreement is needed to reactivate the oil industry. Colombia might have potential for oil, but it is not an oil country. This must be taken into account when forming competitive strategies to attract investment, said Juan Carlos Rodríguez Esparza, president of the Colombian Oil Engineers Association (ACIPET).

The National Agency of Environmental Licenses (ANLA) will be headed up by one of its current functionaries, Claudia Victoria González, after a previous candidate named by the Minister of Environment Luis Gilberto Murillo was ruled out, leading to public tensions.

The scandal surrounding the Cartagena Refinery (Reficar) might have fallen to a secondary status, but continues to make headlines. A Senate hearing last month, accusations of environmental damage and a full audit by the General Controller’s office have all taken shape over recent weeks.

When the World Economic Forum opens its Latin American conference in Medellín this week, the Finance Minister Mauricio Cárdenas will unveil “the new economy” of Colombia, which is no longer dependent on oil prices or minerals, but instead on large agroindustry projects and tourism.