 The controversial amendments, which Mauritanian authorities declared had been signed "outside the legal framework of normal practice, to the great detriment of our country", could cost Mauritania up to $200 million a year, according to "BBC News".Signed by Woodside two weeks after the February 1, 2005 legislation authorizing the four amendments, they provided for a lower state quota in the "profit-oil", and reduced taxes by 15 percent in certain zones.They also eased environmental constraints, and extended the length and scope of the exploitation and exploration monopoly, among other measures.