[ad_1]
Once again, the defenders and promoters of fracking in Colombia lost a battle in Congress, this time in the middle of the process of the bill that regulates the organization and operation of the royalty system, in the plenary session of the Senate.
(You may be interested: 13 positives for covid-19 in the Senate during the election of attorney)
Around midnight this Wednesday, the plenary session of the corporation finished voting on the initiative, which must go to conciliation of the texts approved in the Senate and Chamber and then to presidential approval.
The last article of the project to be voted on was Article 210, which spoke of the extension of “contracts, agreements or contractual figures” entered into by the Government “for the development of unconventional deposits.”
Fracking, or multistage horizontal fracturing of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, is a technique to extract oil and gas from great depths in the subsoil, stimulating the source rock of these resources.
(Also read: Controversy over prohibition of ‘fracking’ returns to Congress)
As soon as the discussion of this article was addressed, in the Senate plenary, several congressmen showed their opposition to the application of this technique in Colombia and to the studies that the National Government is doing to determine its risks.
The senator for the ‘greens’ Jorge Londoño affirmed that there are already several studies on these issues and that the analyzes that the Executive makes “are as if one were to do a study to know if the earth is round.”
At the end of the discussion, a vote was taken and the result was so tight that the Secretary of the Senate and the Undersecretary proceeded to count: 44 votes against the article and 39 in favor of it, with which the possibility of fracking, by the moment, it was closed.
One of the main arguments of the opponents was that fracking would be legalized “through the back door.”
(It may interest you: Will Paloma Valencia be a presidential candidate in 2022?)
The senator for ‘the U’ Roy Barreras, affirmed that when taxes are collected for an activity it is legalized, it gets into the law. He added that this practice would be leaving to the new generations “a dark world with poisoned water.”
Senator for Alianza Verde Angélica Lozano affirmed that the suppression of this article 210 means that there will be no “gabelas, economic and tax incentives for the exploration and exploitation of unconventional deposits. Fracking kills and is a strong message that citizens are giving, through the Senate, to the country ”.
In countries like the United States, progress has been made in the practice of fracking.
Rubén López Pérez. Please portfolio.
However, proponents of the article maintained that the discussion was not about fracking. Uribe senator Alejandro Corrales stated that “the debate should not lead us to a discussion about water or mineral energy resources. That is a populist debate ”.
For the senator for the Democratic Center Ciro Ramírez, the debate between water or oil as “demagogic” and expressed his inclination for scientific studies around fracking and its importance for the national economy.
(Recommended: ‘Uribe has had the practice of changing his position with justice’)
“This law nowhere speaks of allowing or not fracking in Colombia,” Ramírez said.
The issue will now be taken up by the committee of conciliators of the Senate and House that will make the final text and that must reflect what was approved by both corporations.
Other politics news
After Uribe’s resignation, do all roads lead to Tomás Uribe?
With biosecurity, 4 municipalities made their elections this Sunday
Almost two years after the election, UP is gambling with Petro for the Presidency
POLITICS
