“It’s not possible for so much time to be lost in the so-called consultations, that is the great weakness of our State, [our] people, and now obviously we will modify some of the rules with the sole objective of accelerating investment and obtaining more natural resources and that will benefit the Bolivian people.”
“No es posible que en las llamadas consultas se pierda tanto tiempo, esa es la gran debilidad que tiene nuestro Estado, Estado, pueblo y ahora evidentemente modificamos algunas normas con el único objetivo de cómo acelerar la inversión y de cómo obtener más recursos naturales y eso beneficie al pueblo boliviano”
Bolivian President Evo Morales, July 12, 2015,
speaking at the inauguration of a seismic testing
project to search for oil near Camiri, Bolivia.
As reported by Erbol Digital.
Read more:
Carwil without Borders 
As best I can tell, the entire public consultation process for the Sararenda project is described here. This project was delayed for over a year due to technical issues, and at most a couple months to hold this completely nonbinding informational meeting under the banner of consultation. http://www.elchaco.info/2013/10/ypfb-andina-realiza-consulta-publica-antes-de-implementar-proyecto-sismica-2d-en-el-sararenda/
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I appreciate your informational reporting, and share the implied environmental concerns. I also understand how Pres. Morales can direct and lead his nation as he perceives voter directives dictate–after all, that is his job. Let’s hope that Pres. Morales also remembers that a big reason he was elected and re-elected was not only to increase the well-being of the average Bolivian, but to safeguard the riches bestowed upon Bolivia by Pachamama, something no previous leader had considered. He knows he must walk a tightrope–that too much protection yields an impoverished yet resource-rich nation, while too little protection makes a relatively few people much more wealthy while the nation’s incredible natural resources are pillaged and raped. In addition, he has to juggle this all with the vast majority of right-wing media against him, not to mention who knows how many 10s or 100s millions of US dollars being spent every year for ‘regime change’ (think of similar efforts in Iraq, Libya, Venezuela, Ecuador and Syria among only a few). Arguably, Pres. Morales has been Bolivia’s best captain in 500 years, and given how bad things were when first elected, in so many aspects of Bolivia, it will take more than ten years at the helm to turn that ship around. What I’d suggest is Evo have more consultations rather than fewer, and to value the concerns and needs of those who elected him over those of the multi-national corporations who now seem to have his ear. His job is not to make all Bolivians wealthy, but to ensure Bolivia’s resources are used and conserved to sustain the good Bolivian life he has repeatedly claimed that all Bolivians want–not to use up those resources in the blink of a cosmic eye. I wish Evo and his magnificent nation all of the best in the process. Regards, locojhon
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