Oil Pipeline Bid Questioned

A U.S. firm, a legislator and a formermanager of the Costa Rican PetroleumRefinery (RECOPE) are asking the refineryto investigate the public biddingprocess conducted earlier this year tochoose a firm to build an $80 million oilpipeline connecting the Caribbean coast tothe Central Valley, the daily La Naciónreported.The planned pipeline will run fromPort Moín in the Caribbean to La Garitaon the northwestern edge of the CentralValley, alongside the existing pipeline,expanding the system’s capacity.Originally, 22 firms had expressed interestin building the pipeline, but only one submitteda formal bid.Techint S.A., a Mexican-Argentineanfirm, submitted its offer in March.RECOPE has yet to award the contract.