Overview
- President Claudia Sheinbaum named a multidisciplinary committee on Wednesday and gave it two months for a first technical reading on unconventional gas.
- The group includes experts from UNAM, IPN, UAM, the Mexican Petroleum Institute and the Mexican Institute of Water Technology who will study water use, emissions, geology and newer methods that use biodegradable chemicals and recycle water.
- Sheinbaum said any favorable ruling would lead to consultations with nearby communities and she vowed to drop the plan if the experts call it unviable.
- Civil-society groups led by the Mexican Anti‑Fracking Alliance rejected the process and warned of risks to water, health and local ecosystems.
- Pemex is slated to front any pilot work but lacks key fracking technology, so the government is weighing private partnerships.