Recently, the National Authority for Environmental Licenses (Anla) approved the filing of Ecopetrol to have environmental license in the Kalé fracking projectin Puerto Wilches, Santander.
(Read: In July, ‘fracking’ pilot Kale plans to drill).
A decision that has been controversial, since different communities in the area have rejected the project due to its alleged environmental impact. Consequently, human rights organizations, together with the Alianza Colombia Libre de Fracking, filed a protection action against the Ministry of the Interior, the National Authority for Environmental Licenses (ANLA) and Ecopetrol.
In the application, they say there is a “Violation of the right to prior, free and informed consultation of the Afro-Colombian Corporation of Puerto Wilches – AfrowilchesWith the guardianship, they seek to suspend the environmental license granted and the ongoing licensing process for the Platero project. At least, until a prior consultation process is carried out with the Afrowilches Corporation “in all its stages,” affirm the activators.
Pedro Carballido, representative of Afrowilches, told EL TIEMPO that “we disagree with the environmental license granted by Anla and in turn we make ourselves feel protesting since our right to prior consultation has been violated, which is why we established a guardianship“.
For its part, after the approval of the license, the Government of Santander stated that Ecopetrol did not report the Environmental Impact Study which was presented to the Anla for the approval of the license.
(What’s more: Environmental license approved for Kalé project pilot in Santander).
Given this situation, the Vice Minister of Energy, Miguel Lotero, said from Bucaramanga that “the National Government has followed all the steps in accordance with the regulations, in accordance with the National Development Plan, in accordance with the institutional framework“.
The Vice Minister of Energy indicated that despite the fact that the guardianship has already been admitted by the office, they have not yet been notified.
If the schedule drawn up by the Ecopetrol technicians is met without setbacks, after Anla granted the license to carry out the Kalé Integral Research Pilot Project (PPII), the Drilling work is expected to start in July.
According to the times of the national oil company, the civil works would begin in a month, and whose work would end at the end of June, to give way to the assembly of the drill and start this stage.
BRIEFCASE
With information from EL TIEMPO*
