"Bill threatens more oil extraction, roads in Guatemala’s protected forests", 09 December 2022

...A bill in Guatemala’s congress would not only renew a contract for the current oil and gas pipeline that already operates in Laguna del Tigre National Park, but also make it easier for potential expansion of drilling and pipeline construction...

Current oil extraction in Guatemala is conducted by Perenco, a European oil and gas company...

The bill would renew Perenco’s contract on the land, originally granted in 2001, while also eliminating the 40-year limit that requires periodic review of the contract terms, allowing the company and potential future operations to run indefinitely as long as they’re making a profit...

While the bill doesn’t specify where new oil exploration will take place, the region’s largest oil reserves pass from southern Mexico through the Petén department and into Belize, making the Maya Biosphere Reserve...

Perenco didn’t respond to several requests for comment for this story...

...Conservationists also have concerns about the long-term impact of the infrastructure brought into the forest and what will happen to it once the oil dries up. Transporting infrastructure and the oil it produces would also likely require the construction of additional roads, which for some conservationists is a more serious threat than the oil field itself.

Perenco has largely mitigated deforestation and oil spills since taking over the operation. The company also makes sizeable contributions to conservation efforts...However, those donations decreased significantly in 2017...