Overview
- The government accepted the committee's preliminary conclusions on Thursday, August 6, 2026, opening a formal, evidence‑based evaluation of non‑conventional gas while saying no commercial exploitation will start without further verification.
- Experts recommended prohibiting fracking in the Tampico‑Misantla basin and continuing technical study of Burgos and the Sabinas‑Burro‑Picachos basins to determine viability.
- The committee set strict environmental conditions: do not use potable surface or groundwater, rely on deep saline or treated wastewater, recycle at least 75% of process water, maintain permanent independent water monitoring, and ban highly toxic additives.
- The president ordered the Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua (IMTA) to drill hydrogeological monitoring wells to confirm deep saline water exists and is hydraulically isolated from aquifers before any further steps; no permits for production have been issued.
- Mexico imports roughly 75% of the gas it consumes, the committee estimated a geologic prospective resource of 141.5 million millions of cubic feet but warned this is unproven and stressed that renewables, efficiency and more conventional production must run alongside any non‑conventional development.