PRD PEMEX proposal
(Notimex, my translation from original in 24-July 2008 Milenio)
The PRD faction in the Chamber of Deputies has confirmed that it will present its energy reform proposal next Wednesday. The proposal coincides with the PRI proposal on three fundamental points.
In a press conference, PRD legislators Carlos Navarro López, Tonatiuh Bravo and Antonio Ortega presented the project, drawn up by Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Carlos Navarrete and Graco Ramírez, among others.
The initiative includes the key points of preserving the national ownership of petroleum resources, disallowing sharing the resource in return for capital and reforming PEMEX’s business structure.
Antonio Ortega recognized that their proposal coincidences with that outlined by the PRI, although the PRD proposal rejects outside investment in exploration, which would be permitted in the PRI proposal.
Ortega also said that before an agreement can be worked out the alternative proposal from the Executive branch had to be defeated, and some divisions within the PRD overcome.
Tonatiuh Bravo added that the PRD proposal took into consideration the need to relieve PEMEX of its financial burdens, which have kept PEMEX from growing, developing and investing in infrastructure and new technology.
Navarro López empahsized that the party will reject any attempt at privatizing the oil industry and will strongly push the party’s initiative, hopefully avoiding the need for an extraordinary legislative session in September.
The PRD Legislators assured the public that they will take into account the results of tomorrow’s citizen iniative [a non-binding referendum vote on energy reform, being held in the Federal District and several other jurisdictions, but not officially sanctioned nationally] and that the PRD legislators are united in opposing privatization as called for in the Constitution.
As far as I can tell, the only issue remaining between the PRD and PRI is whether subsidiary services (pipeline constuction, drilling equipment, etc.) and some exploration could be provided by outside contractors. The PRI proposal would allow this, if the contractor is a Mexican firm. Both proposals would change the allow PEMEX to retain more profits, though I haven’t seen details of either proposal (and, of course, am not an expert on managing oil companies, or setting national budgets).
mexfiles.net 
Hola,
excelente articulo. Hace mucho mas por explicar de que trata la reforma que decenas de “articulos reales” que he leido en Reforma, Publico, y el Informador.
La prensa mexicana se dedica mas a comentar lo que comentaron los politicos, que ha dar noticias reales.
PS. a lo spammers les gusta tomar direcciones de email de los blogs. Una forma de evitar esto es permitar direcciones de mail “malformadas” es decir, que no le sirven a un programa, pero que son legibles para una personas. Por ejemplo:
luisgutz arroba gmail punto com
The debate over what constitutes privatization is useful, but somehow I get the feeling when reading the Mexican press or listening to the politicians that the big issues can get lost. The way I see it, the biggest energy issue is for Mexico to assure (clean) energy independence for its future.
I found the contrast striking between Al Gore’s challenge to the U.S. to become 100% free of fossil fuels within 10 years, and the political discussions here about who owns the rights to build pipelines for Mexican oil.