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The Colombian Minister of Mines and Energy, Amylkar Acosta, heralded an optimistic view for 2014, saying that not only are investors continuing to believe in Colombia’s potential, but also a potential record of exploratory wells, some 240, will be drilled this year.

As the date to announce fixed fuel prices for April approaches, pressure has increased on the national government to lower fuel prices, while the Minister of Mines and Energy Amylkar Acosta insists that the public should not be expecting further cuts.

Industry associations from mining, infrastructure and energy met and declared that they are “worried about the effects” of public referendums and social conflicts surrounding industry projects.

Citiing a UN agreement to protect 17% of the country’s land mass, authorities are looking to add eight more parks in La Guajira, Arauca, Meta, and Serranía de San Lucas, thus prohibiting any sort of extractive activities in the area.

Huila governor Carlos Mauricio Iriarte Barrios said that there is an opportunity for departments in Colombia’s south to join forces to become more competitive to win royalty projects that meet the needs of this region.

The USO has said that it has presented a new list of terms to Ecopetrol (NYSE:EC) which surround a number of policy changes and increased benefits, stances on several environmental issues, and will hold a vote among USO affiliated workers with the NOC on April 25, 2014, in order to demand a new collective bargaining agreement.

The Ministry of Mines and Energy and the infrastructure unit of Pacific Rubiales Energy (TSX:PRE) have penned the concession contract to build the Olecar Pipeline, another attempt to mitigate the complicated logistical scenario of sending crude to ports in tankers.

Peru’s Mines and Energy Eleodoro Mayorga has announced that the government will eliminate the requirement for environmental impact studies for seismic exploration to encourage investment, a move that could mean more interest in the Andean country over the complexities of seismic exploration in Colombia.

The president of the National Federation of Palm Oil Growers (Fedepalma), Jens Mesa, said a recent resolution from the Ministry of Mines and Energy to fix the price to the biofuel producer is “straight out of a Chavista court”.

A high court ruling has impeded efforts from several municipalities to use a public referendum as a tool against allowing nearby oil production. Local leaders are taking different readings of the ruling.