“How do you think we are going to deliver the oil!”
The setting was the National Palace, but history wrote the script. Claudia Sheinbaum, with that mixture of genuine indignation and political calculation that characterizes her, drew a line in the sand this Wednesday. Fracking, that issue that divides waters and fractures communities, will not be a back door for large international oil companies to enter Mexico.
“How do you think that we, who have fought so hard, are going to hand over the oil to transnational companies! Well, we are not Calderón, we are not Peña!”
The phrase was not just a coup d’état. It was a direct message to those who hoped that, under the review of the T-MEC, the key to massive exploitation would be opened. Sheinbaum immediately connected with the most sensitive nerve of the Fourth Transformation project: energy sovereignty.
“We are not going to hand over our natural resources abroad, as you think! Imagine, if it is the essence of the transformation!”
But here’s the detail that many are overlooking. The president did not say a resounding ‘no’ to fracking. What it did was set conditions that were almost impossible for any company to meet.
The battle will be played in the communities
Sheinbaum announced that any project will have to go through the filter of community consultations. And he did not talk about quick procedures.
“We have to see if it is a national consultation or a consultation in the area… because in the end the communities are going to be affected. So, we go one by one, one by one.”
He recalled cases such as the Wellbeing Poles where the communities themselves have rejected projects. The message to environmental groups was clear: they will be heard, but the final decision will be “responsible.” Responsible for whom? Therein lies the mystery.
Meanwhile, on the real board, Sheinbaum revealed concrete moves:
- The contracts with Repsol are cancelled
- Pemex focuses on recovering flared gas and exploiting conventional fields
- There is only one active contract left… and without authorization to expand
The strategy is clear: buy time while Pemex is strengthened and tempers are calmed. But the T-MEC clock keeps ticking, and the United States watches every move.
At the end of the day, Sheinbaum put on stage what he does best: defend the flag of sovereignty while handling an explosive issue with tweezers. Political theater has its new masterpiece… but the public still doesn’t know how it ends.
