In a move criticized by environmentalists, President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration has authorized Cemex to mine stone in the tourist town of Tulum, an area home to a Mayan community. The decision grants Cemex permission to extract rock material, despite concerns that the project could harm a local underground river system and nearby residents.
According to documents obtained by Proceso magazine, the environmental impact study submitted by Cemex omitted crucial details about the potential effects on the area’s ecosystem, including the risk of damaging an underground river system. The omissions have sparked outrage among environmentalists who point out that Cemex has been given permission to do what Calica, a US-based subsidiary, was prohibited from doing.
In 2022, then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shut down Calica’s operations in Playa del Carmen after accusing the company of causing ecological damage. The Mexican government subsequently declared the area where Calica operated a Protected Natural Area. However, under the current administration, Cemex has been granted permission to carry out similar work.
The permit for Cemex was issued last December, more than two years after Calica’s operations were shut down. Environmentalists are now questioning why Cemex was allowed to pursue the same activity in Tulum when its US-based subsidiary was prohibited from doing so in Playa del Carmen.
Residents of Francisco Uh May, a Mayan community with 1,200 inhabitants located next to the proposed mining area, have reported seeing dump trucks hauling extracted material along the road that runs through their town since early March. Cemex maintains that stone extraction has not begun despite these reports.
The project, titled “Change of Land Use in Forest Lands for the Establishment and Operation of a Materials Bank with a Crusher and Screening Plant,” began its permitting process in February 2024, during the López Obrador administration. Critics argue that the decision to grant Cemex permission to mine stone in Tulum flies in the face of President Sheinbaum’s assurance that Calica would no longer be allowed to extract rock material in the area.
Environmentalists have condemned the decision, citing concerns about the potential harm to the local ecosystem and nearby residents. As the debate surrounding this project continues, questions remain about the motivations behind the government’s decision to allow Cemex to pursue similar work in Tulum that was prohibited for Calica in Playa del Carmen.
Source: Proceso
