Occidental Petroleum Corp. will be allowed to resume oil exploration on its 500,000-acre (209,000-hectare) Samoré block at a site near the ancestral homeland of Colombia’s semi-nomadic U’wa Indians, reviving a project that has been paralyzed for three years amid fierce international opposition. Following a government decision late last month to expand the U’wa’s reservation in northeast Colombia by more than 500%, the Environment Ministry said this month it will grant Occidental a license to drill a test well on the border of U’wa territory. In an interview with EcoAméricas, Environment Minister Juan Mayr said the Colombian government has had to balance competing, but equally important interests. “The U’wa are opposed to oil drilling both inside and outside their new reservation for cultural... [Log in to read more]