The Ministry of Environment (MinAmbiente) said that it has formed a special committee in Putumayo which will mitigate the effect of “inadequate practices of hydrocarbons production”. The committee includes 13 mayors and local authorities and institutions.
Celebrating 10 years in Colombia for the firm, Mansarovar Energy CEO Harvinderjit Singh said the company is here to stay, interested in competing for new areas and focusing its efforts on a streamlined and efficient operation.
Further clouding who has authority to allow or restrict extractive activities, the Constitutional Court has ruled municipalities have the right to decide whether extractive activities, mining in this specific case, can take place. National authorities and industry associations have expressed concern.
Despite rumors that the acting National Hydrocarbons President Orlando Velandia has been named the formal president, the ANH website still lists him as interim. This lack of authority is reportedly causing problems especially over legal matters which have fallen to middle management to decide.
Sitting around the HCC editorial offices on Friday afternoon, the Analyst was looking for something to write about for this week’s column. He was suffering a rare case of writer’s – or better – analyst’s block.
I was at the ANH/Semana Forum on offshore exploration last week. It was worth attending although more directed at the general public than the industry.