The mining industry in Mexico has stepped up lobbying in the Mexican Congress to prevent the “destruction of a strategic sector for the national economy” with the ban on open-pit mining. “Open-pit mining should be regulated, not stigmatized,” said one of the leaders of the sector.
At the installation of the Mining Commission of the LXVI Legislature in the Senate of the Republic, the directors of the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico (AIMMGM), the leaders of the Mexico Chapter of Women in Mining, the leaders of the Mining Chamber of Mexico (Camimex), the main executives of the College of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico (CIMMGM) and directors of the Mining Cluster of Sonora attended.
“It is necessary to provide certainty to national and foreign entrepreneurs interested in participating in the sector, because many investors have emigrated to other countries where they have better conditions to invest,” said the president of AIMMGM, Rubén del Pozo in a press release.
The mining leader said that prohibiting open-pit mining implies the destruction of a strategic sector for the Mexican economy and will put Mexico's mining sovereignty at risk, by turning it into a country dependent on imports.
In addition, millions of resources will be lost due to tax reductions and the loss of thousands of jobs. The prohibition initiative, promoted by the now ex-president, is already in the Lower House.