Bolivia Nationalizes Natural Gas Fields

Bolivian president nationalizes nat-gas industry ::
Morales orders foreign energy giants to send supplies to state company

LA PAZ, Bolivia (MSNBC) 1 hour ago —  Bolivian President Evo Morales signed a decree to nationalize the hydrocarbons sector, requiring that foreign-owned energy companies turn over their natural gas fields to the state immediately and sign new operating contracts within 180 days.

The leftist leader also ordered the military to occupy fields nationwide. Bolivia has the second-largest natural gas reserves in South America after Venezuela, and the question of how the country should manage these riches has been at the heart of several popular revolts in the last three years.

"The time has come, the awaited day, a historic day in which Bolivia retakes absolute control of our natural resources."

“We want to ask (the Armed Forces) that starting now, they occupy all the energy fields in Bolivia along with battalions of engineers,” Morales said after signing the decree at the San Alberto field, operated by Brazil’s state-owned Petrobras  in the southeastern province of Tarija.

BBC News – Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has signed a decree
placing his country’s energy industry under state control

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