| Montreal, 3/07/2007 – On 29 June 2007, the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) issued a determination requesting a response from Mexico to submission SEM-07-001 (Minera San Xavier), filed with the Secretariat on 5 February 2007, by Pro San Luis Ecológico, A.C. (the “Submitter”). The Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law with respect to an environmental impact authorization for an open-pit mining project located in the municipality of Cerro de San Pedro, San Luis Potosí.
On 4 April 2007, the Secretariat of the CEC determined that the submission did not meet all the criteria of Article 14(1) of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). On 4 May 2007, the Submitter filed a revised submission containing information about a complaint challenging the environmental impact authorization for the project and indicating that the relevant authorities had been notified in writing of the matter raised in the submission. The Submitter asserts that the project’s authorization violates a court decision that allegedly held it to be invalid, and that although the environmental impact statement anticipates significant modification to the environment of Cerro de San Pedro, the project was authorized without observing the legal provisions applicable to land use, water and air quality, mining waste, and endangered species.
The Secretariat’s executive director, Felipe Adrián Vázquez-Gálvez, recused himself from involvement with the Minera San Xavier submission upon receipt of the submission in February 2007. Mr. Vázquez-Gálvez did not participate in the determination announced today.
Mexico has up to 60 days to provide its response. Thereafter, the Secretariat will review the submission in light of Mexico’s response to determine whether it warrants development of a factual record.
For more information, please visit the CEC's Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters page. |
