Russia Pushes Oil Companies to Find More Oil in Eastern Siberia

On October 19 Russian Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev reported to President Vladimir Putin on the progress of the Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and pledged to crack down on energy companies found to be violating their license agreements.

The use of natural resources in Russia is still regulated by legislation adopted in 1992, which needs to be amended, Trutnev said at the meeting. The ministry has drafted amendments to introduce stricter controls over the use of subsoil resources, he added.
The Natural Resources Ministry has long advocated changes in the federal legislation, particularly the