After endorsing a reservation that takes responsibility for the energy transition away from the State, the Chamber of Deputies endorsed in general and in particular the constitutional reform that returns to Pemex and the CFE the status of “public companies of the State” and points out that “in no case” will private companies prevail over state companies in various activities of the electrical industry.
The reform, which was submitted to the Senate, was approved after almost 14 hours of discussion with 350 votes in favor, one abstention and 111 votes against from the Opposition, which warned about the risk of approving the reservation presented by the Morenoist Ana Elizabeth Ayala.
The modification consisted of deleting the paragraph that establishes that the State would be in charge of the energy transition and to do so it would use all available energy sources in a sustainable manner. “The State is in charge of the energy transition and will sustainably use all the energy sources available to the Nation in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and components, for which it will establish scientific and technological policies. and industrial projects necessary for the energy transition and other environmental impacts,” states the paragraph that was eliminated.
Rubén Moreira, coordinator of the PRI, recalled that the text was not in the initiative of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, but the majority included it in the opinion, arguing that if private companies were not subject to the Mexican State, the oligarchies were going to take advantage , so its elimination opens that possibility.
He warned of confusion among the majority legislators between the State and the Government, because the wording does not speak of the energy transition being the responsibility of the Government, but rather that the State must dictate public policies on the matter, to which everyone must comply, including the businessmen. “We require that the Mexican State, the State, dictate the public policies to which all Mexicans, businessmen and non-businessmen, are subject. What you are doing, and I tell you with respect, is that, at the moment you remove this paragraph, yes, no one is going to be in charge of making public policies or pushing for technological change, because public policies are made by the State, which is what it says here,” he indicated. PAN member Federico Döring said that the reservation takes away the President’s ability to promote an ambitious clean energy program, as she promised in her swearing-in speech. “The President prides herself on being a scientist, and what they are mutilating the Constitution is the possibility that this scientific President, who carried out studies on climate change, who prides herself on having participated in the Nobel Prize for climate change in Al Gore demonstrates all the knowledge he has to contribute to Mexico,” he stated. Döring questioned whether the modification has to do with the majority’s refusal to grant budgetary resources for the energy transition. “Why are they backing down? Could it be because President Sheinbaum’s meeting with the president of the Business Coordinating Council had to do with the fact that in every country the energy transition implies fiscal support and public policies that accompany the transition and it turns out that, Maybe they don’t want to contribute a cent? Does it turn out that what they didn’t want to offer the people is to accompany the energy transition?” he questioned. The legislator regretted that the Green Party became “ant-eyed” during the debate, since during it not a single speaker came up to defend its environmental agenda. Ricardo Monreal, coordinator of Morena, said that the modification is necessary to prevent the State from being solely responsible for the energy transition, which would be impossible, because it does not have the economic capacity. “If this article is not deleted and remains in the constitution, then the state is obliged exclusively to be in charge of the energy transition, it would be the only State. No private investment would be accepted. It is as simple as that,” he indicated. Monreal rejected that the reservation puts the President’s commitment at risk. “Where is the contradiction or betrayal? Where is the manipulation? Where is it that we are forgetting our proposals? The only thing that President Claudia Sheinbaum has done is to be consistent in what she did, in what she said, and in sending their initiatives. “In this case, it is a timely modification, because otherwise, if we do not do it, we would be condemning the State to be the only one in charge of the energy transition,” he reiterated. , the coordinator of Movimiento Ciudadano, Ivonne Ortega, proposed modifying the paragraph, to prevent it from being eliminated. “I offer that we pause and rewrite that paragraph. What do you think: the State and private initiative? There it is. And also the energy transition as a priority of the Government of Mexico. The paragraph remains, all of us who are saying the will of the people comply and we stop fighting here for electoral votes, since we are not in a campaign,” he indicated. Finally, the reform was endorsed by a qualified majority with the proposed modification and submitted to the Senate .
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