The National Development Plan in Colombia which is pending in Congress, includes an article that seeks to automatically extend the contracts of mining contribution not agreed to have extensions.
This was denounced by House Representative for the Party of
the U of the Department of Cesar, Christian José Moreno Villamizar, who said
that the adoption of Article 22 of the Law Project on the National Development
Plan, makes the Drummond, a coal multinational company operating in Cesar, wins
and while the nation loses.
The parliament representative recalled that in mining
matters the Colombian government signed the contract 078 1988, which does not
express possibilities for extension.
Moreno Villamizar explained that today, in the context of
the discussion of the bill 200 2015 of the Camera by which the National
Development Plan 2014 - 2018, "All for a New Country", “is issued seeks
to amend the Article 101 of the Act 685 of 2001 through Article 22 of the bill
that aims to bring integration of non-surrounding areas to extend the time
initially agreed to a contract that has no extensions”.
Clarified the parliamentarian Moreno Villamizar that the
effects of this article, if approved as proposed, are:
- Loss of applicability of the clause that makes a mine, its
equipment and infrastructure, be returned to the state at the end of a mining
contract.
- Loss of the ability to negotiate more favorable conditions
for the State in mining operating or that the state can operate it directly.
- Extension of a contract detrimental to the state.
Harmful Contract
"The state contract with Drummond on Pribenow or La
Loma mine has been detrimental because the alleged major profits could not be
generated without this formula and, as it is, they have favored little favor
the Colombian state" reiterated the representative Moreno Villamizar.
He recalled that the contract between the Colombian state
and Drummond, on the contribution area 078-88, has a maximum duration of 30
years from the date of processing, February 23, 1989, and ends on February 22
2019, when assets revert to the State under the thirty-first clause of the
contract pursuant to which no extensions were agreed, but with the possibility
of integrating the areas, Drummond could extend the contract on beneficial
terms.
The political leader of Party of the U denounced that the
company Drummond has been since 2007 trying to convince the mining authorities
to extend the contract of La Loma, which ends in 2019, either directly or
indirectly by including a plan that allowed the integration of operations of
all contracts until 2060. Bluntly, parliamentary Moreno Villamizar warned that
according to the company, this new plan involves the natural extension of a
contract that by its terms and conditions does not allow its extension beyond
2019.
Original in http://tuperfil.net/con-articulo-22-del-pnd-gana-drumond-y-pierde-el-estado/
translated by Rio Rancheria
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