President Claudia Sheinbaum responded on Wednesday to criticism regarding her government's interest in exploiting gas through hydraulic fracturing ('fracking'), and assured that no decision will be made that affects communities. "We are not going to do anything against the population, never," stated the head of state during her daily press conference. The governor referred to the questioning of civil organizations, such as the Mexican Alliance Against Fracking, which oppose this technique, after the Government proposed to evaluate its feasibility in different regions of the country. Sheinbaum assured that the issue is being analyzed based on science, so she called on "the best scientists in Mexico" to review if there are new technologies, in which zones its application could be viable, and its environmental and social impacts. "We will make the decision based on scientific knowledge, not as a decision of the president," she stressed, and added that the analysis will be presented within two months. In this sense, she indicated that any project would have to go through dialogue with the communities, and did not rule out a popular consultation. "We have to talk to the population of that area, whether they agree or not." On the other hand, Sheinbaum - an expert in environmental engineering - acknowledged that she previously rejected this technique: "I myself for many years said 'no to fracking'," she recalled. However, she maintained that the current energy context forces the issue to be reviewed, particularly in light of the energy dependence on other countries. "What we do not want is to close the door to Mexico's future." When explaining the cases being analyzed, she mentioned that in the state of Coahuila there is a basin shared with the United States, where the gas is at a depth of about 3,000 meters and "we don't know how much gas they are extracting from this side." Let's not close ourselves off, let's see if it is feasible, like other technologies. In addition, she clarified that if the group of experts concludes that the projects are unviable, they will not be carried out. "To all the environmental groups that oppose hydraulic fracturing, what we tell them is that we are going to make a responsible decision." As the central axis of the conference of this day, Rosaura Ruíz, Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation, presented some of the experts who make up the multidisciplinary group that will review the feasibility of 'fracking' with new technologies. Also present and supporting the president were Leonardo Lomelí, rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Gustavo Pacheco López, rector of the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), and Arturo Reyes Sandoval, director of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).
