Energy watchdog orders halt to work on new refinery after mangroves cleared
Energy watchdog orders halt to work on new refinery after mangroves cleared"
- Select a language for the TTS:
- UK English Female
- UK English Male
- US English Female
- US English Male
- Australian Female
- Australian Male
- Language selected: (auto detect) - EN
Play all audios:
Mexico’s energy sector watchdog has ordered that preparatory work on the Tabasco site where a new oil refinery is to be built must stop after mangroves were allegedly cleared without
environmental authorization. The Agency for Safety, Energy and the Environment (ASEA) directed the company Sistemas Empresariales del Golfo (SEG) to immediately cease all activities that
alter the condition of the site, which is located on the Gulf of Mexico coast at Dos Bocas. The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Cemda) filed complaints last month when both ASEA and
the federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) claimed that neither environmental authorization nor permission to change the land use of the site had been granted before work began.
The National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Conabio) confirmed the presence of mangroves on the site before the preparatory work took place. After a December 4
inspection of the site where President López Obrador says a US $8-billion refinery will be built, ASEA set a timeframe of 30 days within which SEG must conduct a study to assess the
environmental damage caused. The watchdog also directed the company to show, within a period of 60 days, that it had acquired the necessary authorization to complete the work. Cemda
president Gustavo Alanís said the orders by ASEA are proof that the federal energy secretary is lying when she says that environmental impact studies have already been carried out and that
permits have been granted. “Rocío Nahle is disregarding the truth, she’s grabbing other supposed [environmental] impact authorizations but they have nothing to do with the construction of
the refinery,” he said. “If they [the federal government] want to do the refinery project, they have to comply with the damage study that ASEA is asking for and pay compensation for
damages,” Alanís added. The Mexican Environmental Impact Academy (AMIA) also said that there are inconsistencies in Nahle’s claims. “Nahle says that the permits were issued by the state and
municipal governments when they should have been issued by Semarnat [the federal Environment Secretariat],” the non-governmental organization said in a statement. The academy added that
environmental impact authorizations and a land use change permit that were granted in 2007 for oil wells to be installed on the site are not transferable. López Obrador has pledged that the
new refinery, which would be the nation’s seventh, will help Mexico to become self-sufficient in energy and boost the economy of southeastern states.
Trending News
Lunchtime Photo – Mother JonesThis is Rosario Beach. It’s on the southern end of Fidalgo Island between Everett and Bellingham in Washington State. It...
What wall street wants from the fedBen Bernanke called for greater transparency when he took the reins of the Federal Reserve. But as Wall Street awaits th...
Bush to focus on alternative fuels with big three carmaker ceosPresident George W. Bush will meet next week with the chief executives from Detroit's largest automakers, the White...
The misfired 1980 comedy wholly moses (channel...The misfired 1980 comedy Wholly Moses (Channel 13 Sunday at 6 p.m.) wastes so many richly talented people it’s enough to...
The two broadest measures of the nation’s...The two broadest measures of the nation’s money supply rose in the week ended Aug. 1, the Federal Reserve Board reported...
Latests News
Energy watchdog orders halt to work on new refinery after mangroves clearedMexico’s energy sector watchdog has ordered that preparatory work on the Tabasco site where a new oil refinery is to be ...
Veteran's day: the "irony" of it allAP You can not escape the irony. Sunday marked Veteran's Day. Tuesday marks the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Mem...
Updates & latest news on water related issuesडाउन टू अर्थPrint EditionSubscribeHealthAgricultureWaterWasteClimateAirAfricaData CentreVideoGalleryYoungEnvironmentalis...
Your guide to the rest of 2020, Celgene gets grilled, & Trump trusts pharma?The ReadoutYour guide to the rest of 2020, Celgene gets grilled, & Trump trusts pharma? By Damian GardeOct. 1, 2020Repri...
BJP defends Memon's execution, says slap on face of those trying to protect a terroristIt also shows how fair the Indian judiciary is as it allowed a terrorist like Yakub to exhaust all after which the final...