PBI-Mexico has posted:
“Last Sunday, December 17, PBI accompanied the 39 Assembly in the municipality of Hueyapan, Sierra Norte de Puebla, in the framework of the Defense of the Territory and Construction of Life Plans. Representatives of the Masewal, Tutunakú and Mestizo villages raised their voices against the Atextaco [Atexcaco] Hydroelectric Project which would use more than 12 million cubic meters of water for the operation of 3 mines.
From PBI, we recognize the work of communities in defense of the territory and their right to self-determination understanding that mining concessions generate serious environmental and social impacts.”
Twitter photo of 39th Assembly by Amnesty International Mexico.
Background
In terms of the “3 mines”, this article in La Jornada de Oriente tells us the mining concessions are Atexcaco I, Atexcaco II and Macuilquila, located in the municipalities of Tlatlauquitepec, Yaonáhuac, Hueyapan and Cuetzalan.
The Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA) notes that the concessions were granted to Autlán, a subsidiary and controlled by Grupo Ferrominero, S.A. de C.V. (Grupo Ferrominero).
The La Jornada de Oriente article also explains that “39 Assembly” refers to the 39th Assembly for the Defense of the Territory and Construction of Life Plans, a gathering opposed to this megaproject.
And La Tinta Oaxaca has explained: “The Assembly’s decision was recognized, respected, and judicially guaranteed, because based on it, on May 9, 2023, the Fifth District Judge in Matters of Civil, Administrative and Labor Amparo and Federal Trials in the state of Puebla, ordered the Ministry of Economy to issue a resolution determining the inadmissibility of a new issuance of the mining concessions that were rendered ineffective by virtue of the amparo.”
While the mining concessions appear to have been stopped, news reports suggest there are concerns about the Atexcaco II dam.
In October 2020, Diario Enfoque reported: “Five groups defending the natural resources of Hueyapan, led by the ‘Majsewal Timosenyolchikawa Council’ demand that the construction work of the hydroelectric plant ‘Atexcaco II’ carried out by the Autlán Mining Company to generate electricity be stopped, since it is drying up and polluting the rivers of this municipality, so they demand that the ecological damage they have caused so far be repaired.”
For more, there are short videos on the 39th Assembly on the Facebook page for the Consejo Majsewal Timosenyolchikawa.
We continue to follow this.
Published by Brent Patterson on
