In mid-August, protesters gathered outside the government palace in Mexico's northern state of Nuevo Leon to oppose a controversial method of natural gas extraction that President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration was considering: hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.
"Here in the northeast, we do not want this to happen," said environmental activist Alejandra Guillen.
Guillen is a member of Noreste sin Fracking, a network formed after a presidential panel of experts recommended evaluating potential fracking sites in the northern states of Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and Tamaulipas.
The proposal is part of a government effort to boost domestic natural gas production and reduce dependence on imports from the US, which supplies about 75% of the gas Mexico consumes.
"As part of energy sovereignty, to avoid depending more and more on foreign supply, we have publicly opened up the possibility of using unconventional gas in certain areas of the country, where social justice and a minimal environmental impact are guaranteed," Sheinbaum said at an Aug. 6 news conference.
But residents and environmental activists question whether fracking can be carried out with minimal environmental damage, warning that it could threaten water supplies and cause lasting harm to local ecosystems.
Experts also question its economic viability, citing high production costs and the potential reliance on major foreign corporations, primarily from the US, to carry out the operations.
Fracking involves injecting a mixture of water, sand and chemicals deep underground at high pressure to fracture rock formations and release trapped oil and natural gas.
Luca Ferrari, a researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), warned that chemicals used in the process could contaminate the air, surface water and underground aquifers.
"It is not a technological miracle," Ferrari said. "It is an act of desperation because oil is running out."
The presidential panel, convened in April, recommended banning fracking in the Tampico-Misantla Basin along Mexico's Gulf Coast to protect biodiversity and densely populated communities following widespread local opposition.
However, it left open the possibility of extraction in the northern Sabinas-Burro-Picachos and Burgos basins, provided exploratory studies confirm the availability of deep saline water, rather than freshwater needed for human consumption.
Carrying banners reading "Protect our water. Prohibit fracking" and "We are not a sacrifice zone," demonstrators challenged the idea of sustainable fracking and questioned why the proposed ban would not extend to less densely populated regions.
"Many people live here too, and there are many highly valuable ecosystems," Guillen said. "Just because they aren't as popular doesn't mean they lack value."
