“Consultations key to Mexico mining code overhaul”, 9^th December 2019

…Community consultations and tougher environmental controls rank among Mexican lawmakers’ priorities for a possible overhaul of the country’s mining code.

Legislators from the ruling leftist Morena party called for fresh legislation, claiming the current setup has failed to protect communities and the environment.

While regulatory changes are not currently proposed, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has said he plans to evaluate such modifications around the halfway point of his six-year term, which falls in December 2021.

But industry chiefs say any shift in policy is likely to harm investment, which is already being held back by uncertainty over the nature of possible future changes to regulations…

New legislation must prioritize community consultations as a requirement for granting future mining concessions, Morena party congresswoman Beatriz Robles said.

Communities must be given the opportunity to weigh up the potential benefits and harm of mining projects planned in their areas, she said, adding that many mines are operated by foreign companies, particularly ones based in Canada.

Mining “is an activity that brings income, but this does not remain in the country,” Robles said. “The people expect that legislators listen to and are close to the Mexican people in this respect.”…