The Regional Autonomous Corporation of La Guajira (Corpoguajira), it is allowed to inform public opinion and the media, that through the Agreement 001 the 9 February 2011, issued by the Board of Directors of this entity, it was approved to confer a service commission to the General Director of Corpoguajira, Arcesio Romero Pérez, to attend Rio de Janeiro and the Muriqui Corridor (Brazil).

The visit in question was carried out, taking into account that the company MPX Colombia S.A.. made known to the Fundación Pro Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the proposal to produce charcoal in La Guajira. Therefore, he expressed his interest that some institutions of the department visit the areas in which EBX activities are carried out., more exactly the environmental initiative in Rio de Janeiro, called Muriqui Corridor, intended to promote the connection of forest fragments, area protection and restoration.

It is in the interest of this Corporation, make it clear that with this visit the entity did not compromise the integrity of its decisions, for the following reasons:

– The technical concept issued by Corpoguajira on the environmental impact study for the exploitation of coal by MPX Colombia S.A. (Canaverales project), was issued on 29 October 2010, that is, four months before the trip in question.

– According to literal B of numeral 2, del artículo 8 del Decreto 2820 of 2010, is the Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development, who has the legal competence to grant or deny privately, the environmental license for this project.

– As environmental authority, and based on the law 99 of 1993, the Regional Autonomous Corporations are empowered to carry out the Control, Follow-up and Monitoring of projects that in one way or another pose a risk and threat to the environment in general and that are carried out in their jurisdictions.

According to the second article, of the administrative act, Romero Pérez was not authorized to pay travel expenses, because the costs of this visit were assumed by the Fundación Pro Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, entity that sent the invitation to the Director of Corpoguajira, to advance conversations with possible strategic partners that allow the development of scientific activities, technological and research activities that aim to generate and disseminate knowledge, achieving the organizational strengthening and concerted management of this mountainous system.

The Board of Corpoguajira, authorized transfer abroad, after analyzing that he himself did not commit resources of the Corporation. Additionally for the environmental authority, An international experience of this type would provide technical and scientific elements that would provide beneficial tools for the exercise of environmental authority in the region..