ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT
Special Session No. 97 on April 12, 2002
Municipal Council of Talamanca, declares:
WHEREAS:
1. Since the late 19th century and throughout the 20th century a series of
petroleum explorations were carried out in the upper and lower
Talamancan region without effective results. All of these projects were
done without State vigilance, control or their employing sufficient
preventive measures of the damaging social, cultural, physical and
biological effects; it has always been the local people and their natural
resources which have suffered the prejudicial consequences of these
failed attempts.
2. In 1999, the people of Talamanca learned of the existence of new oil and
gas concessions granted within their region, without any prior consultation
with the local inhabitants nor with the municipal government.
3. Immediately there began a process of regional organization and
mobilization of communities and organizations to become informed and to
oppose the intended oil and gas extraction, which causes serious
consequences to the population.
4. The Municipality of Talamanca gave it’s full support to the aforementioned
process of community participation and activism and during Regular
Session No. 82, on the 16th of December, 1999, adopted a strong
declaration expressing their adamant opposition to the decision to
undergo oil exploration and exploitation within their territory and declared
the area free of oil explorations and exploitations.
5. The local inhabitants, the community organizations, and the Municipality
of Talamanca, have continuously participated to date in the entire process
of questioning and opposing the oil development project, in honor and
remembrance of an illustrious indigenous Talamancan woman, Adela Pita.
6. The Municipality of Talamanca tried unsuccessfully to obtain a public EIS
hearing in Talamanca, in accordance with the environmental laws, so that
the National Technical Secretariate would be informed firsthand, directly
from the inhabitants of the region, of the negative impacts that the oil
exploration has caused in Talamanca, and to understand the ill affects that
will be caused by the continuation of these contracts.
7. In light of the failure of the these efforts to hold a public EIS hearing, the
Municipal Council of Talamanca agreed to hold a Special Session, widely
publicized throughout the Talamancan region in order to inform and
communicate with the inhabitants the far reaching impacts of the oil
concessions and the present situation of the project.
8. In this session, technical opinions regarding the proposal and its
evaluation process where heard, as well as opinions from the general
public.
9. It is the local government’s role to promote the interests of their
inhabitants and to assure that decisions are made by the national public
institutions with an active, conscious and democratic participation of the
population.
Hereby agrees:
1. To reiterate the declaration of Talamanca as a territory free of oil and gas
exploration and exploitation. This implies a total moratorium on all activities
related to petroleum exploration and exploitation within the Talamancan
territory.
2 . To request that the corresponding national authorities review extensively and
thoroughly the petroleum concession contract granted for the four blocks in the
Caribbean region to assess whether they comply with the laws, and to take
necessary measures to assure compliance.
3. To request that the Minister of Environment, Elizabeth Odio or her successor,
reject the appeal against SETENA’s finding declaring the oil exploration project
non-viable environmentally, which, in addition to many other reasons, is based
upon having ignored the impacts and ill affects to be caused upon the
Talamancan people and their natural resources.
4. To request that the corresponding national authorities proceed to derrogate
the Hydrocarbon Law immediately.
5. To widely publicize this agreement and to communicate it to other
municipalities nationally.
Final and unanimous decision.