On June 9, PBI-Guatemala posted:

“PBI accompanies the Ancestral Authorities Ch’orti’ of Olopa in their activities with the Observatory of Extractive Industries.”

The Extractive Industries Observatory (OIE) is an independent research platform built to acquire, organize and visualize data on extractive projects (mining and oil) in Guatemala.

PBI-Guatemala has previously explained:

“The communities of Olopa are confronting the company American Minerals S.A., which was granted a 25-year antimony extraction license in 2012, without prior consultation.

The Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Authorities of Olopa and Quezaltepeque are working in two municipalities of the same name, in the department of Chiquimula. The Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Council of Olopa is formed by 14 communities and Quezaltepeque council by 15.

The Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Authorities of Olopa and Quezaltepeque are fighting for recognition as indigenous communities, the recovery of their spirituality, the defense of their territory, and the right to free, prior, and informed consultation before the entry of mining projects into their territory.”

Oil in Guatemala

Guatemala has oil reserves of 83,070,000 barrels.

KeyEnergyFacts.com has also noted: “The country has produced heavy oil from a number of fields in two regions within the Peten Basin in the center of the country, since 1976. Significant new prospects appear limited but the government is encouraging new exploration in an attempt to raise output. Without a suitable refinery, most of its oil is exported to North America.”

PBI-Guatemala began accompanying the Maya Ch’orti’ Indigenous Authorities of Olopa and Quezaltepeque in June 2021.