On Sunday, the Peruvian Organism for Environmental
Evaluation and Justice (OEFA) announced
that Peruvian state-owned oil company Petro-Perú could be fined up to $16.9
million for the two oil spills that happened in late January and early
February. In addition, the OEFA said that Petro-Perú would have to complete an
environmental management program to ensure that both pipeline maintenance and
environmental remediation are improved in the future.
El Comercio spoke with the Peruvian Minister of the
Environment, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who confirmed that Petro-Perú’s oil
infrastructure is terribly obsolete, and that its aging pipeline technology
directly resulted in the oil spills. The report also noted that the oil company
still has not completed its remediation plan in response to a 2014 oil spill.
Over the weekend, the Peruvian press also reported on the
country’s mining industry in light of the upcoming national elections. El
Comercio reported on the Congressional candidates tied to illegal mining in
the departments of Puno and Madre de Dios. According to the outlet’s
investigation, the leading Congressional candidates for both regions have
either been convicted of or are being investigated for their ties to illegal
mining. El Comercio was not afraid to
name names, listing both the candidates and the political parties in question.
La
República forcefully argued that all of the Peruvian presidential
candidates should defend and embrace the Peruvian law guaranteeing the right to
a prior consultation of local communities living in the area of large mining
projects.
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