Semarnat, LNG, Escalera Nautica
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20050208-9...
Mexican official sees competition ruling LNG sites
By Sandra Dibble
February 8, 2005
MEXICALI ? As natural gas companies vie to supply fuel to the Baja California and California markets, Mexico's top environmental official says his
agency will not limit the number of receiving terminals that are built.
"The market itself will regulate the situation," said Alberto C?rdenas Jim?nez, head of Mexico's Secretariat for the Environment and Natural
Resources, or Semarnat, during a swing through Baja California last week.
So far, two projects, by Sempra Energy and ChevronTexaco, have received permits to build facilities along the Baja California coast. Semarnat is
considering a third application for a floating terminal off the coast of Rosarito Beach by a partnership between Moss Maritime and Terminales y
Almacenes Mar?timos de Mexico.
"I think that a fourth, or fifth, or sixth gas company that is considering coming will have to ponder its decision very well," C?rdenas said.
The secretary's comments come amid debate over the presence of the terminals in Baja California. Environmental groups in Mexico and the United States
say the facilities threaten ecologically sensitive areas and should not have been approved.
Opposition in Mexico's Congress has prevented the country from fully exploiting its natural gas reserves, particularly in the Burgos basin in
northeast Mexico, the secretary said. The fuel is clean and inexpensive, C?rdenas said, and the government policy "is that we use more and more
natural gas."
"For that reason, gas projects that come to our country are welcome," he said. "If they comply with the regulations, they will be accepted. If not,
they will be rejected."
C?rdenas, 46, is the second environmental secretary to serve under President Vicente Fox. He is a member of the National Action Party, or PAN, a
former governor of the state of Jalisco and has been mentioned as a contender for his party's presidential nomination in the 2006 election.
"The topic interests me," C?rdenas said of the presidency, adding that he has not decided whether to run.
In addition to reviewing applications for receiving terminals, Semarnat is considering proposals for gas pipelines by Sempra and ChevronTexaco.
Francisco Giner de los Rios, the subsecretary in charge of reviewing the projects, said ChevronTexaco's remains under review, but Sempra's was
rejected because its proposed route affected fragile vegetation. Sempra is expected to submit a revised proposal.
With long stretches of sparsely populated coastline, the Baja California peninsula increasingly has been eyed for its development potential.
Environmental groups are concerned that the region's unique habitats could become imperiled.
While natural gas companies are vying to build terminals near the California border, other parts of the peninsula are being viewed for their tourism
possibilities.
The Fox administration has been promoting an ambitious development plan called the Escalera Nautica, or Nautical Ladder. It aims to increase nautical
tourism and investment by creating a series of linked ports along the Pacific coast and the Sea of Cortez. The plan includes building an 80-mile "land
bridge" linking the two coasts, so those not inclined to sail around the peninsula could have their boats towed across it.
C?rdenas said zoning plans for marine and coastal areas are being worked out by Semarnat and the states involved, and should be completed by the end
of the year. Construction of the land bridge, which crosses the federally protected Valle de los Cirios, has been halted while Semarnat is looking at
alternatives that would minimize environmental damage, Subsecretary Giner de los Rios said.
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