Fracking in Colombia: a pending issue for Petro that is generating a lot of controversy

The bill that seeks to prohibit the extraction of gas and oil from the subsoil through hydraulic fracturing, a practice known as ‘fracking’, is one of the most controversial issues in Colombia, putting the Government and the opposition in conflict, and is still pending on the agenda for 2023.

At the end of last November a group of senators were absent from the first debate on the subject that should have taken place in Congress and thus, the discussion was ‘avoided’ due to lack of quorum.

According to the schedule stipulated by the parliament, the issue should have been addressed by the group of senators that make up the Fifth Commission of Congress, an instance that is in charge of discussing projects related to the agricultural, ecological, environmental, natural resources, land, sea, mines, and energy sectors, among others.

From the Pacto Histórico (Historical Pact), the government alliance, the absence of the senators from the debate was criticized, despite the fact that it was scheduled on the agenda as an urgent issue at the request of the Centro Democrático (Democratic Center), an opposition party, which is against the ban on fracking and exploitation in unconventional deposits.

The Alianza Colombia Libre de Fracking (the Alliance for Colombia Free of Fracking) considered that this action, by the senators, constituted «a mockery of the territories and nature», especially since it was the first time that these parliamentarians were absent from a discussion in the commission.

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, described the action as «regrettable» and announced that «as soon as possible» the country must switch to clean energy. The president has pointed out for years that this practice is part of the «death economy» model that previous governments prioritized, by focusing on the exploitation of coal and oil.

«The practice of fracking destroys the water and the territory. First of all, the health of the population is a priority. We will switch to clean energies as soon as possible so that energy does not destroy life, but rather strengthens it”, said Petro.Urgent debate on fracking

The controversy generated reactions within the commission, including the head of that instance, Senator Inti Asprilla, who explained that before declaring the lack of quorum, they waited up to 40 minutes after the set time to start the session.

Asprilla said he was «disconcerted» with the actions of the senators, despite the fact that the issue is part of the governmental program that President Petro promised during the campaign, and ordered the deduction of one day’s salary from the missing parliamentarians, with the exception of the senator Yenny Rozo, who had a leave of absence to attend a commitment of the interparliamentary delegation of Congress with the United Kingdom.

«The ban on fracking is an urgent debate», said Asprilla, after stressing that as president of the Commission he will continue to summon parliamentarians until the debate is held. In addition, he assured that no other project will be addressed until a decision is made «in democracy» on the bill.

The absent senators were Yenny Rozo and Andrés Felipe Guerra, from the Democratic Center; Miguel Ángel Barreto and Marcos Daniel Pineda, from the Conservative Party; José David Name, from the U Party; Didier Lobo and Edgar Díaz, from Radical Change; and Jaime Durán, from the Liberal Party.«A very delicate subject»

Rozo assured W Radio that the group of senators caused the lack of quorum as a gesture of solidarity with her, since the parliamentarian is the speaker who is against the bill.

«That is why the other congressmen did not go, because they expect a broad debate», said Rozo, who alleged that, previously, several senators agreed to hold a private meeting outside of session with the ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Finance, Mines and Energy, to talk of the project, but the Executive decided to leave the matter to the Commission.

Rozo considers that the bill «is a very sensitive issue» and generates «great concern» for the opposition, because if the law is approved, multinationals would be able to sue the Colombian State for breach of the contracts signed during previous governments. Similarly, she believes its approval would be a setback.

According to the Uribista congresswoman, the issue requires a discussion of at least three weeks, because once the decision is taken, it will have an impact on the country’s economy and could influence the rise of the dollar. «We have to give enough debate because the responsibility is very great for the economic sphere of our country», said Rozo.

The position of the Democratic Center, added Rozo, is that the opinions of multinational companies and local businessmen that are linked to fracking be heard in the debates, which according to her would allow a «mature, conscious and responsible» decision to be made, taking also into account that Colombia participates in exploration projects of this type in the US.

«Doing things very calmly, not out of passion, thinking about the economy, obviously we have to take care of the environment but we cannot have a (negative) impact on our society»,  she said.»Nagotiation Weapon»

Meanwhile, for the senator of the Historical Pact, Isabel Zuleta, the project is «controversial» because there are many «interests at stake» and that is why the opposition resorts to absenteeism as a «negotiation weapon».

In this sense, Zuleta explained to W Radio that when an issue that is important and that touches the economy arises, congressmen usually withdraw and leave the sessions. «It’s nothing new», maintained Zuleta. In this case, she believes that they did so, because the speaker who had planned to ask for «the collapse of the project» was not going to be present.

Asked about the absence of members of some parties that make up the government coalition, Zuleta indicated that they did so in solidarity with Congresswoman Rozo, but that does not mean that they are against the bill. However, she questioned the senators’ action (to be absent) instead of fulfilling their obligation for which they were elected by the citizens.

Zuleta explained that although the debate did not take place, the discussion has already begun with three clear positions: the government bench supports the project; the U party approves it, but on the condition that the contracts that have already been signed are guaranteed; and the Democratic Center intends to deny it.

Meanwhile, Senator Zuleta commented that the debate is an urgent issue and that the Commission’s agenda cannot be delayed any longer or accommodate itself to the absence of senators, since they have the discussion of other projects in line that must also be addressed. 

The parliamentarian insisted that to oppose fracking is to defend water and that this position cannot be dismissed as ‘against the economy’, as the opposition accuses. «We need to move forward with this project, so that we overcome the uncertainty about the care of the waters», concluded Zuleta.