manuel rodriguezpresident of the Energy Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, notified of receipt of the initiative of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) that modifies various provisions of the Mining Lawof National Waters, of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection, and General for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste.
This package of initiatives presented on Monday, April 17, seeks modify the way of mining in Mexico and, since it does not seek to modify the Constitution, it can be approved with a simple majority, which the National Regeneration Movement (Morena) already has in the Congress of the Union; however, in an effort not to approve this initiative in fast trackit was decided to listen to the opposition benches.
During the presentation of President López Obrador’s reform, Rodríguez González explained that it seeks to recover the stewardship of the State over mineral and water resources that are found in the Mexican subsoil; regulate the granting, maintenance, supervision and termination of mining and water concessions for mining to protect the human rights to a healthy environment, health and water of the population.
In addition, the federal government stated that with this initiative seeks the preservation of natural resources of the nation and the right of the native peoples to the preservation of their territories; However, the parliamentary opposition raised the possibility of other voices being heard, not just those that promote Fourth Transformation (4T), for which the possibility of creating forums to open parliament.
“It must be in order to have a Mining Law according to the times; We arrived at the time of the agreements, listen to each other and make laws that serve each and every Mexican,” he said. Ignatius Loyolarepresentative of the National Action Party (BREAD).
Finally, Rodríguez González provided some statements to the media, who asked him about the short-term future of this initiative. In this regard, he pointed out that there is no rush to speed up the legislative processes, for which he announced that they will not request an extraordinary period to approve this initiative.
This means that it will be until September of this year when the federal legislature resumes this reform. “We have enough time to organize the number of open parliaments let it be remembered ”, he stressed to make it clear that Morena seeks the support of the majority.
He also stressed that the access to water that is currently granted to mining companies must be reconsidered, since first it must be guaranteed human right of access to drinking water sufficiently before any economic activity, with which it is expected to benefit the communities that live on the peripheries of the mining developments.
“What we want is for there to be a guaranteed environment so that we can prevent any contamination resulting from this activity (mining), guarantee the social rights of the communities, guarantee the quality of the work of those who participate there”
The approach to this issue is also measured in economic terms, since this liquid attracts million-dollar profits to the sector, for which reason the deputy from Morena argued that responsible management of this resource should be promoted and compensation applied proportional to the wealth they generate. without this giving them the right to violate the access to water for citizens.
To solve this problem, according to the wording of the initiative, it will be the responsibility of the National Water Commission (With water) grant the concessions and establish clear consumption rules and the corresponding remuneration of private individuals to the Mexican State.
However, he reiterated that there is no rush to approve this initiative and recognized that although there are assets in the Mexican subsoil that must be protected by the federation, it is also understood that there are companies that will seek to ensure their interests and that they feel at risk with AMLO’s proposal, which is why they are willing to promote dialogue and the exchange of ideas in the Open Parliament.
