San Luis Potosi bans fracking & extraction projects

The San Antonio City Council, in the Huasteca region of San Luis Potosi, approved a total and permanent ban on fracking and on any extractive project or use of explosives related to Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) within the municipality.

The decision was ratified in a public session, backed by assembly minutes documenting the communities’ refusal to consent and based on the argument that the communities possess legal personality as subjects of public law.

According to information published by the online news outlet Astrolabio, the resolution prevents the municipal government from granting permits to PEMEX, a company that had requested authorizations for the use and storage of explosives in the Huasteca region of San Luis Potosi

Mayor Benito Gonzalez Hernandez stated that the authorities have a responsibility to respect the will of the Tének people, and argued that fracking poses a threat to natural resources and the lives of the communities.

The approved resolution establishes legal and environmental safeguards that prohibit the issuance of construction licenses, changes in land use, permits for the handling of explosives, and the signing of agreements with PEMEX.

The resolution is based on Article 115 of the Constitution, Convention No. 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the charters of the communities recognized as subjects of public law.