Mexico's Ban Advances Broader Fight to End Fracking in North America

[Judi Lynn]

BY
José Luis Granados Ceja Truthout
PUBLISHED
August 10, 2018

Mexico City — Those who have been fighting fracking describe hydraulic fracturing rigs as harbingers of death and destruction, and with good reason. Hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as fracking, has become synonymous with the contamination of the air, land and water, and for this reason, communities throughout the continent have persistently resisted, fighting by every means possible to stop the practice. The effort by grassroots activists to take on multinational oil and gas companies is a classic example of a battle between David and Goliath.

But opponents of fracking recently had cause to celebrate. On August 1, 2018, Mexican President-Elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that under his government the nonconventional extraction method would no longer be used, marking a major step in the fight to end fracking in North America. Although other jurisdictions have moved to ban fracking, the announcement by the Mexican president-elect would mark the largest jurisdiction yet to eliminate the practice.

The announcement, which came as somewhat of a surprise, was warmly welcomed by activists and communities who have been organizing to stop the practice; but they also warned that the fight was not over yet.

López Obrador’s announcement “gives people a certain sense of hope, however, it is not enough to let our guard down,” said Rogel Del Rosal Valladares, an adviser with the coordinator of Campesino and Indigenous Organizations of the Huasteca Potosina.

More:
https://truthout.org/articles/mexicos-ban-advances-broader-fight-to-end-fracking-in-north-america/

Environment and energy:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127119090