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Colombia’s ministry of Mines and Energy (MinMinas) is preparing rules to deregulate transport rates for new oil pipelines in order to promote more construction in areas with new production.

The Casanare Administrative Tribunal has approved a formal request from the mayor of Tauramena to hold a constitutional popular vote, essentially a public referendum, in which the community can support or reject the development of oil productions in the municipality.

That is the conclusion of an Invermer Gallup poll done for national business magazine Dinero, published in a recent issue. The graph shows selected items from the article.

Colombia’s Energy & Gas Regulation Commission (CREG) has started the process to contract an administrator of the natural gas market, part of its long term wide reaching evolution of how the gas market is regulated.

After a rise in terrorist activities targeting energy infrastructure, kidnappings and extortion in Eastern Colombia the national police, Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and the Attorney General’s office have signed a cooperation agreement to combat the rise in security threats.

The Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development (MinAmbiente), Luz Helen Sarmiento held her first meeting with the general directors of the regional autonomous environmental authorities, or CARS, to discuss the work agenda between the regional entities and the central government.

While in charge of Petrominerales (TSX:PMG), Jack Scott would tell everyone from humble scribes like ourselves to Canadian ambassadors to Colombian government ministers of the importance of agile licensing for maintaining production. Now on the threshold of a sale to Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE), PMG reports the first increase in production in nearly three years.

Colombian Foreign Minister, María Ángela Holguín and her Venezuelan counterpart Elías Jaua signed a memorandum of understanding in the name of the NOC of each country, Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) and PDVSA, to connect oil pipelines at the border.

More details emerged on the acquisition deal for Pacific Rubiales (TSX:PRE) to take over Petrominerales (TSX:PMG), as the companies published the information hours before the securities regulator Superfianciera ordered them to do so in a press statement.

The mayor’s office of Yopal has scheduled a meeting with 10 area village leaders to discuss roadway needs in areas close to oil production sites in the municipality.