This is how politicians and environmentalists reacted to Anla's decision to allow fracking

Yesterday while he was being awarded the Oscar Award for the feature film celebrating Colombian biodiversity, 'Encanto' for best animated film. The National Environmental Licensing Authority Anla, through resolution 00648 of 2022, granted the company Ecopetrol exploration in a well that will reach 60.69 meters and a trajectory of up to 1,219 kilometers.

Regarding this, several environmental organizations pointed out that it was an “unprecedented environmental licensing process, developed in less than five months”, and that in the midst of increasing violence they repeatedly reiterated their opposition to the project authorized by Anla.

The Colombia Free Fracking Alliance mentioned a lack of guarantees in the process: “It is regrettable that a fundamental energy issue was not discussed in the Congress of the Republic, where government allies delayed for the third consecutive time the discussion of bills to ban fracking, and will be decided by the Duque government, eagerly, without guarantees, and a few months after the possession of a new president”, they also recalled that in various meetings between Ecopetrol, Anla and the community of Puerto Wilches, those meetings were excluded without being received or were canceled when they noticed the presence of the collective.

Another thing highlighted by the Free Fracking Alliance is the constant overexploitation that the region suffers. And that the approval was given by Anla even presenting demonstrations against the project: “The Anla decision is made without the broad and informed participation of the communities of Puerto Wilches and Magdalena Medio, where for more than 100 years the consequences of environmental and social degradation associated with the exploitation of hydrocarbons in a conventional manner”.

Another comment that sounded on the subject was that of the candidate for the Historical Pact, Gustavo Petro, who said that this type of decision puts the region's water resources at risk: “Fracking is the most predatory mechanism, because it kills water in the territory to continue an economic system based on in hydrocarbons. Puerto Wilches has a much better future in the agribusiness of small and medium-sized agricultural producers,” he said on his Twitter account.

Senator Angelica Lozano, for her part, reminded her of another of President Duque's many unfulfilled promises, and pointed to Anla as arbitrary: “This government could not end without continuing to breach its promise not to frack... A pilot was arbitrarily tested in an area with exceptional water richness and with the community against it. Because of its risk to the environment and health, fracking is prohibited in several countries.”

The National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA) granted Colombian state-owned oil company Ecopetrol the license to start the pilot research project (PPI) to be implemented in Puerto Wilches, Santander, despite the rejection of environmental activists from the eastern region of Colombia.

PPI Kalé aims to gather technical, environmental and social information, the results of which could be the scenario that allows the implementation of fracking as an oil exploration practice in the country.

This project will drill a 200-foot (60.96 meter) well that will have a trajectory of up to 4,000 feet, or 1,219 kilometers.

For Gabriel Combariza, vice president of unconventional deposits at Ecopetrol, this study is part of the process for obtaining the corresponding environmental license.

The executive stressed that this study has a Contingency and Risk Management Plan that identifies potential risks, mitigation measures and actions contemplated for contingency management, in order to protect the community, ecosystems, biodiversity, water resources, soil and air. among other aspects.

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