Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out fracking in a key basin, citing danger to nearby water tables and indigenous communities — a move that highlights her political balancing act as the country strives to wean off US energy.
Sheinbaum, a former engineer, has backtracked on her opposition to fracking, touting “new extraction technologies” that differ from “traditional fracking” and reframing it as essential for reducing Mexico’s reliance on US imports. She’s also fallen back on price caps.
As the White House pushes to enlist Mexico in its aggressive pursuit of cartel leaders, Sheinbaum has alternatingly defied and placated Washington: After killing a cartel leader with US intelligence assistance in February, Mexico’s government last month filed US criminal complaints regarding the deaths of Mexican nationals in immigration custody.