These are the senators who will make the environmental decisions.

The Colombian Senate has confirmed its members for the Commission Five, which will oversee environmental and rural issues during the legislative period 2026–2030. This commission plays a crucial role in shaping policies related to mining, energy transition, agriculture, and natural resources. The newly formed group includes 13 senators representing various political parties, none of whom hail from the Amazon region, nor have they been widely recognized for their environmental expertise. Several among them have faced legal scrutiny or have family ties to individuals under investigation. Commission Five of the Senate consists of representatives from multiple factions. Three come from the Historical Pact coalition: Carmen Patricia Caicedo Omar from Magdalena, Yaini Isabel Contreras Jiménez from Sucre, and Cristian Kevin Gómez Paz from Valle del Cauca. Two belong to the Democratic Center party: Juan Fernando Espinal from Antioquia and Óscar Villamizar Meneses from Santander. Two are from the Liberal Party: María Eugenia Lopera from Antioquia and Camilo Torres from Atlántico. Two are affiliated with the Conservative Party: Miguel Ángel Barreto from Tolima and Marcos Daniel Pineda from Córdoba. Two represent the Radical Change party: Gonzalo Baute from Atlántico and Didier Lobo from Cesar. One member is from the Green Party: Ariel Ávila Martínez from Cundinamarca. Another comes from the Party of the U: John Moisés Besaile from Córdoba. Five of these senators are returning to the legislature, with three having previously served on Commission Five. Among them, Miguel Ángel Barreto, a Conservative senator from Tolima, has a long-standing political career. He entered Congress in 2014, supporting candidates such as Martha Lucía Ramírez and Óscar Iván Zuluaga. He was elected to the Senate in 2018 and this marks his third term. In 2022, he faced accusations of procedural fraud and forgery of private documents. Later that year, he became involved in another investigation by the Supreme Court concerning the corruption network known as "Las marionetas 2." Despite these legal troubles, he declared himself independent of President Gustavo Petro’s government. Marcos Daniel Pineda, also from the Conservative Party and representing Córdoba, played a key role in drafting the livestock traceability bill passed in the previous legislative session. His work on the bill was instrumental in securing support from the cattle industry, particularly in regions affected by deforestation. Pineda hails from a prominent political family in the Caribbean region, including his grandfather, former minister Amaury García Burgos, and parents who were both senators. He has held several high-profile positions, including advisor to David Luna when he was a city council member and director of political and electoral affairs at the Ministry of Interior during the Uribe administration. Pineda served as mayor of Montería from 2007 to 2016. In 2017, he was investigated for five alleged corruption charges, though the case was dismissed in 2021. This is his second term in the Senate, and he previously sat on Commission Five. Didier Lobo, a member of the Radical Change party from Cesar, began his political journey as a council member in La Jagua de Ibirico, a mining town in Cesar, in 2008 before becoming mayor in 2011. He gained entry into the Senate in 2018 with the backing of Germán Vargas Lleras and the influential Gnecco family in Cesar. In 2020, the Office of the Attorney General suspended him for six months over allegations of overspending more than 3 billion pesos on nutritional packages for malnourished children and pregnant women. Although he filed an appeal, the suspension was upheld in January 2021. This is his third term in the Senate, and he previously served on Commission Five. Ariel Ávila Martínez, a representative of the Green Party from Cundinamarca, has focused much of his pre-congressional career on conflict and peace-related matters. He worked as a deputy director at the Foundation for Peace and Reconciliation (Pares) and coordinated the Conflict Observatory at the New Rainbow Arc Corporation. His background suggests a focus on social and political reconciliation rather than environmental policy, raising questions about how his experience will influence the commission's decisions. John Moisés Besaile, representing the Party of the U from Córdoba, brings a different set of experiences to the table. While specific details about his prior involvement in environmental or rural issues remain sparse, his inclusion underscores the broader political landscape shaping the commission’s composition. Each member brings a unique mix of regional representation, political alignment, and personal history, all of which will play a role in the decisions made by Commission Five in the coming years.