Mexican miners see willingness to reconsider proposed ban on open-pit operations

There is willingness on the part of Mexican authorities, especially the newly installed lawmakers, to reconsider the proposed ban on open-pit mining, one of the constitutional reforms presented by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's (AMLO) government.

That is the view of Pedro Rivero, president of mining chamber Camimex, which believes such a ban would further compromise the future of the industry.

“Right now, I think the most important thing is to be calm… I see openness on the part of the authorities to seek common ground, and openness on the part of the legislators to listen. I don’t think it’s time to guarantee absolutely anything,” Rivero told the Mexico Mining Forum 2024 in Mexico City.

“This is still under discussion and will continue to be discussed, and I invite you to promote the constructive stance of our industry to continue engaging in this conversation,” he added.

In mid-August, the lower house constitutional committee approved the executive's proposal to ban open-pit mining. It was initially presented in February by AMLO, who leaves office next month, as part of a package of 20 constitutional and legal initiatives, which include a controversial overhaul of the judiciary.

Rivero said that September began as a “turbulent” month and he expects it to continue being so, after the house approved Wednesday morning and sent to the senate the proposed amendment to the constitution that provides for judges, magistrates and justices of the supreme court to be elected by popular vote, despite courts suspending its approval.

On September 1, the regular session of the new congress began after the June elections, with the ruling coalition having a large majority, so some players in the sector expect that in the next few days the full sessions of both chambers could give the green light to the ban on open-pit mining.

“It is an issue that’s on everyone’s mind and it’s worth mentioning that the chamber [Camimex] and all the organizations that participate in mining are working… to try to communicate to all our legislators all the positive things that mining does, and we will continue to do so,” said Rivero.

The pro-government parties, led by AMLO’s Morena, need a two-thirds majority in both the lower house and the senate to approve the reforms, but fall one vote short in the latter. 

During his presentation, entitled Charting New Horizons, Rivero stressed the urgency of addressing the global climate emergency, as an increase in global warming of 1.1°C has already caused unprecedented changes on the planet, and Mexico is ranked as the 12th country with the most emissions worldwide, according to 2022 data from the Global Carbon Atlas.

Despite this, the industry leader stressed that only 0.0021% of Mexico’s emissions come from members of Camimex, which, he said, is deeply committed to the energy transition.

By 2050, between 1.8Bt and 3.5Bt of critical minerals will be required for clean technologies, and Rivero said the mining sector will be key in this transformation, while occupying only 0.08% of national territory. In addition, he said that 38% of the energy consumed by mining comes from clean sources.

“Within all this conversation that exists today about whether mines really contribute or not, I think what is required is that we have an open conversation about it,” he said.

Camimex data shows that mining contributed 8.63% of industrial GDP and 2.75% of total GDP in 2023.

Morena candidate Claudia Sheinbaum will take over from AMLO on October 1.