Colombian environmental defenders reject fracking at decentralized session of Departmental Assembly of Santander in Puerto Wilches

On April 20, these Colombian environmental defenders were at the decentralized session of the Departmental Assembly of Santander in Puerto Wilches in opposition to the fracking pilot projects that have been authorized in the Magdalena Medio region.

They are Ivan Madero (CREDHOS), Oscar Sampayo (CRY-GEAM), Yuvelis Natalia Morales (AguaWil) and Yuli Velasquez (FEDEPESAN).

To hear about what they said, please join us on Thursday April 29 at 2:30 pm COT/3:30 pm EDT for a bilingual webinar featuring all four of them.

You can do so by registering here.

The National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) has issued contracts to Ecopetrol and ExxonMobil to conduct fracking pilot projects near Puerto Wilches, Santander in the Magdalena Medio region despite public opposition and human rights concerns.

At the decentralized session, the Departmental Assembly of Santander called on the National Government to “[suspend] the realization of [the fracking pilot projects] in our territory and [avoid] the possibility of exploiting unconventional deposits and implementing the fracking technique in our department.”

Furthermore, the Alliance for a Colombia Free of Fracking note: “Delegates from the Governorate of Santander expressed the resounding rejection of Governor Mauricio Aguilar and the departmental administration of fracking projects in the department.”

On that point, the Alliance tweeted: “We hope that announcements made today by [the Government of Santander Interior Secretary Camilo Arenas] in Puerto Wilches are translated into real and concrete actions by [the Governor of Santander Mauricio Aguilar Hurtado] to oppose the fracking pilots in the department of Santander.”

To hear an update on what “concrete actions” may have been taken in the nine days after the decentralized session, join those who were there for this webinar on April 29.

Ivan Madero (CREDHOS), Oscar Sampayo (CRY-GEAM), Yuvelis Natalia Morales (AguaWil) and Yuli Velasquez (FEDEPESAN)