March 30, 2022

We reject the approval of the first fracking pilot project in Colombia, in a context of threats against environmental leaders and the territory.

 

Last Sunday, March 27, 2022, the organization Alianza Colombia Libre de Fracking announced the decision of the Colombian National Government, through the National Environmental Licensing Authority (ANLA), to grant an environmental license for the development of the first fracking pilot project called KALÉ, which ECOPETROL intends to carry out in the municipality of Puerto Wilches, Santander.

This environmental licensing process, as we denounced on February 23, 2022, took place in a context of human rights violations, in which more than 40 leaders were threatened by armed groups through pamphlets, after peaceful protests in Barrancabermeja and Puerto Wilches before the preparatory meeting for the public environmental hearing of the ANLA, within the framework of the environmental licensing process. As a result of these threats and other security incidents, two women environmental leaders, who opposed the granting of the environmental license, were displaced from their territory. One of them had to leave the country because armed men came to her house to attempt against her life and personal integrity.

We have denounced this environmental licensing process on multiple occasions for the irregularities that have been committed in the course of the process[1], as well as for the serious environmental impacts that affect the hydrological and hydrogeological dynamics of the Magdalena River and the wetlands of the Magdalena Medio Cenagoso Complex, which violates the human rights of the communities that benefit from the essential services of this ecosystem, and the mandates of environmental protection contained in the RAMSAR Convention and in the constitutional principles established in Articles 2, 8 and 79 of the Constitution and in Law 99 of 1993, especially the principles of sustainable development, precaution and citizen participation in environmental matters.

It is also worrying that the same story is being repeated in the environmental licensing process underway for the pilot fracking project called “Platero”, which is also intended to be carried out in Puerto Wilches, but this time by the multinational EXXON MOBIL. The decision will soon be known and the communities fear that the licensing will be granted.

Taking into account the above context, we denounce before the international and national community the actions of the National Government presided by Iván Duque, the director of ANLA Rodrigo Suárez and the president of Ecopetrol, Felipe Bayón, who are the main responsible for making these decisions contrary to the general interest and the self-determination of the communities and even of public institutions of popular representation such as the Departmental Assembly of Santander and the Municipal Council of Puerto Wilches, which have opposed the development of these fracking pilot projects.

Likewise, we call for the solidarity of the international and national community to support the different legal actions and peaceful mobilization that we are carrying out to defend the territory and water of our country. We ask you to send your communications to the Colombian government.

We demand from the Colombian State guarantees for the life and personal integrity of social and environmental leaders who oppose the fracking pilot projects in Magdalena Medio and throughout Colombia, for which we demand compliance with international standards established in the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the American Declaration of Human Rights, and the American Convention on Human Rights.

Finally, we request that you send direct communications to the Colombian Government at : [email protected] ;  [email protected]; [email protected] , expressing your disagreement and demanding guarantees.

 

Corporación para el Desarrollo del Oriente “COMPROMISO” [email protected] – [email protected]                                                                                                                  Bucaramanga, March 30, 2022

[1] RCN RADIO. Fracking pilots in Colombia: Denounce irregularities in environmental licensing process. February 11, 2022: Accessed at: https://www.rcnradio.com/estilo-de-vida/medioambiente/pilotos-de-fracking-en-colombia-denuncian-irregularidades-en-proceso.