A monthlong standoff with a forest-dwelling indigenous group is threatening Colombian oil exports and may force the government to declare a national emergency, Mines and Energy Minister Amylkar Acosta said. Members of Colombia ’s U’wa group are preventing repairs to the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline following an attack by Marxist rebels March 25, cutting exports by more than 2.5 million barrels, Acosta said. The country’s second biggest pipeline is controlled by state-run Ecopetrol SA. “This almost merits a declaration of emergency by the national government,” Acosta told local radio station Caracol today. “There are reasons of state, and there’s a public interest that takes precedence.” A emergency declaration would give Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos powers to rule by decree for 30 days and potentially overrule standard protocol when dealing with local groups. Royalties from oil, Colombia’s biggest export, are a key source of revenue for the government, currently battling […]