Limitations on mining prevent the possibility of new investments: Del Pozo Mendoza

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

Hermosillo, Son., October 23, 2024.- As long as limitations and prohibitions on mining exploration persist, instead of incentives, the possibility of having new projects, new investments and, consequently, new sources of employment is being cancelled, warned the president of the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico, Rubén del Pozo Mendoza.

At the inauguration of the 15th International Mining Congress Sonora 2024, headed yesterday by the governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo, the national leader of the miners stated that the prohibition of open-pit mining, the disappearance of the Mining Fund, the suspension of the granting of concessions and the limitation on exploration, are factors that limit the development of the industry and affect the growth of Mexico and the well-being of the population.

He said that the changes to the Law that reserves mining exploration to the State have generated a climate of uncertainty among investors. In fact, the Law is already affecting the economy of mining communities, where this industry is often the only source of employment. “It is a verifiable fact that, as a result of this, more than a hundred of our colleagues, geological engineers, associated with our organization, have been fired from their jobs.”

He insisted that mining is finite and that the mines that are currently active will eventually be exhausted and if we do not have reserves - which are the product of exploration - Mexico would be limited in its mining vocation and without the possibility of transforming its natural resources into development opportunities.

Del Pozo Mendoza stressed that Mexico urgently needs public policies that are in line with the times: adequate and fair, that encourage investment, employment, growth and the sustained development of Mexico.

Therefore, he said that "the knowledge, experience and efforts of us, the specialists and technicians in the sector, will always be ready to contribute to the promotion and consolidation of national development."

Inaugurating the event, the Governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo, said that the state has proven to be a leading state in the energy transition, in its contribution to the fight against climate change thanks to its leadership position in the generation of clean energy, and for this reason it should also be noted for being at the forefront in the use of mineral wealth.

Sonora faces the challenge of becoming a state at the forefront of the environmental use of mineral resources and the treatment of wastewater because it faces a major water crisis, he said.

“We have dams without a drop of water and the mining industry is highly demanding of water, but we have a mess of treatment plants that are not working optimally” that are operated by the municipalities and few have the budget capacity to maintain them, so the mining industry could take charge of the operation and maintenance of these plants and its contribution be rewarded with water, he explained.

Another challenge, however, is to add value to primary production, because there is no possibility of generating greater well-being for the communities located in the vicinity of mining operations if added value is not given to mineral production.

The state leader reaffirmed his commitment to lead a government that facilitates investment and said that he will be a coadjutant in the necessary efforts to guarantee the success of the mining-metallurgical industry. “You can count on my commitment without any hesitation,” he said.

The ceremony was also attended by the president of the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico, Sonora District, David Ramos Félix; the Head of the Unit for the Coordination of Extractive Activities, Fernando José Aboitiz Saro; and the president of the Mining Chamber of Mexico, Pedro Rivero González.

The mayor of Hermosillo, Antonio Astiazarán, attended and said that the municipal government of Hermosillo is and will continue to be the main ally of mining in the municipality, in the state and in the country.