Overview
- Pemex sent official letters to several municipalities asking for authorizations related to the storage and use of explosive materials under a Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional permit, which local officials and communities publicized and questioned.
- The state oil company publicly denied on July 11 that it is carrying out fracking in the Huasteca Potosina and emphasized that explosive materials are not used in any stage of hydraulic fracturing.
- Pemex said the requests aim to conserve the validity of a federal permit so it can respond to emergencies or carry out future seismic-acquisition studies that use controlled explosives to map the subsurface.
- Municipal leaders, including the mayor of Tamuín, confirmed receiving the letters and said they will seek technical and legal advice before granting any authorization while the state government verifies the documents.
- The federal Energy Secretariat continues an independent study of fracking’s technical, economic and environmental viability and has made no policy decision, leaving local authorities and communities to manage immediate concerns about water, safety and oversight.