The Network for Tax Justice has filed a lawsuit to anull the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) resolution that defines the formula used to determine the country´s fuel prices.
A Casanare representative has challenged articles of the royalty reform law while the National Planning Department (DNP) has suspended payments to 106 municipalities who have not reported their royalty use. These and other stories in our routine round up.
The Colombia Chamber of Oil Goods & Services (Campetrol) estimates that as many as 15,000 workers with oil contractors have lost their jobs thus far due to the fall in oil prices, and that the cuts will likely continue.
Finally ruling on one of the more controversial and uncertain scenarios facing the Colombian oil industry, Ecoeptrol (NYSE:EC) has said it would not renew its association contract with Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE) for Colombia’s largest producing field, Rubiales.
The Minister of Mines and Energy Tomás González says that the government’s objective is keep production at a million barrels a day despite the fall in international oil prices, and that there is interest among international companies to invest in Colombia.
The central government is considering more relief measures for the hydrocarbons industry to create incentives for more investment in exploration through a rehash of its energy policies.
The low price of oil is putting Colombia’s biofuels industry and future investments for it at risk says the National Federation of Biofuels (Fedebiocombustibles), although Ecopetrol’s (NYSE:EC) biofuel unit Bioenergy says it will move forward will an expansion of sugar cane crops for fuels and a long delayed plant.
A report of the Agustín Codazzi Geographical Institute (IGAC), which oversees political and land borders says there are 84 “questionable borders”, many of them falling in producing regions. Of these 20 will be prioritized in 2015 for clarification.
The Central Workers Union (CUT) has entered the labor dispute generated as companies cut costs due to the fall in oil prices, and is promoting a strike of oil workers. Meanwhile the USO oil workers union has the member vote to strike, and promises that they will take action very soon.
An announcement from Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) that it would restrict its public wholesale offer of propane could have an alarming impact on low income communities along with health and environmental implications says the Union of Colombian Propane Companies (Gasnova).
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