Canadian oil exploration giant Pacific Rubiales is being investigated for impeding environmental controls on its oilfield in the central Colombian Cundinamarca department, reported Radio Caracol on Tuesday.
Environmental authorities said that the exploration and production company is impeding environmental controls by providing information from the previous year, more specifically saying that information from 2008 was presented in December 2009.
The National Environmental Licensing Authority opened the investigation against Pacific Stratus Energy, a subsidiary of the Canadian company, for repeatedly failing to present an environmental compliance report on the exploratory drilling for oil in the Guaduas Field in Cundinamarca near Colombia’s capital Bogota.
The investigation will look at a possible misrepresentation of research related to recurring complaints of contamination, said to be from the dumping of residual water in the supply of the neighbouring towns.
The environmental authority said that Pacific has not in any case delivered the environmental management documentation in a full and timely manner.
Authorities also said that this repeated failure to comply makes it impossible to control and monitor the environmental effects the oil exploration has on the towns in the department.