BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's top administrative court on Tuesday clarified that a moratorium on fracking it upheld last week does not impede "investigative" pilot projects, surprising oil companies and environmental activists.
Three magistrates from the Council of State, which is tasked with ruling on administrative matters, had maintained a temporary moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, amid ongoing arguments in a wider case regarding using the oil and gas drilling technique in the Andean country.
"The court advises that the reach of this decision does not impede the development of comprehensive investigative pilot projects," the Council said in a statement.