The official version in the face of international pressure
The Ministry of the Environment came out this Sunday. The United States Congress has it in its sights due to the case of the Vulcan Materials company in Quintana Roo. American legislators speak of a “coordinated campaign” against the company. That is why they approved a new law to protect foreign investments.
Translation: they want to establish consequences for countries that, according to Washington, affect properties of American companies abroad. A pretty direct wink.
“There is no expropriation or confiscation of assets”
That was the forceful clarification from Semarnat. The land involved, they insist, remains the property of Vulcan. The only thing there is is a restriction on extractive activities within the “Felipe Carrillo Puerto” Protected Natural Area. Spot.
US congressmen allege that for years they tried diplomatic channels without results. Now they move on to firmer measures. They defend economic interests, of course.
The real conflict is underground
What Semarnat presents as environmental protection, from Washington is seen as an attack on commercial interests. The reserve was declared during the López Obrador government, suspending the operation of Vulcan.
Meanwhile, the defense of natural resources became a workhorse on the national political agenda. Each side tells its own truth. Mexico talks about sovereignty and ecology. United States, legal security for its investors.
Memory is short, but legal precedents are long. This smacks of another chapter in that old fight between economic development and environmental conservation. With the juicy addition of geopolitics.
Semarnat plays its cards: we act under environmental law, not against a specific company. We will see if that argument resists the pressure coming from the north.
