Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters

Canada, Mexico and the United States cooperating to protect North America's shared environment.

Wetlands in Manzanillo

Submmission ID: SEM-09-002
Party concerned: Mexico
Date filed: 4/02/2009
Status: Open

Latest update: 2/11/2009
The Secretariat received a revised submission and began to analyze it.

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

The Submitters assert that the Government of Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws with regard to the protection of the Laguna de Cuyutlán, Manzanillo, which—according to the submitters—represents 90 percent of wetlands in the state of Colima, Mexico and is the fourth largest wetland in the country.

The submission further asserts that Mexican authorities should not have granted favorable environmental impact authorizations to two infrastructure projects: a liquified natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal filed by the Federal Electricity Commission (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) and another, for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) operated by Z Gas del Pacifico. The submitters assert that the process was conducted without following a proper review under the applicable environmental law.

Likewise, the Submitters assert that municipal authorities in Manzanillo modified the urban development program by changing the zoning restrictions from eco-tourism to heavy industry, which—they assert—is a violation of the environmental zoning criteria designated for the Laguna de Cuyutlán.

The CEC Secretariat is currently reviewing the submission to determine whether it meets the criteria of NAAEC Article 14(1). The Secretariat’s Executive Director, Mr. Felipe Adrián Vázquez-Gálvez, has recused himself from involvement in all matters related to this submission.

Submitter(s)
Bios Iguana, A.C.(a Mexican organization) and Esperanza Salazar Zenil

More about the process
Bringing the Facts to Light
A Guide to Articles 14 and 15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation
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Names and citations of the environmental laws in question

Law of Ecological Equilibrium and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA); Federal Administrative Procedure Law; Federal Wildlife Law; Organic Law of Federal Public Administration; LGEEPA Regulations on Ecological Zoning; NOM-022-SEMARNAT-2003; NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2001; Environmental Law for Sustainable Development for the state of Colima; Coordination Agreement for the Preparation, Issuance and Implementation of the Ecological Zoning program for the Laguna de Cuyutlán; Urban Development Program of Manzanillo

Submission timeline

4/02/2009

The Secretariat acknowledged receipt of a submission and began a preliminary analysis of it under the guidelines.
	Submission — Submission authored by Submitter(s) on 2/02/2009
	Acknowledgement — Communication to Submitter(s) authored by Secretariat on 4/02/2009

19/02/2009

Under guideline 3.10, the Secretariat requested the submitter(s) to correct minor errors of form.
	Notification — Communication to Submitter(s) authored by Secretariat on 19/02/2009

28/02/2009

The Submitters corrected the minor errors of form.
	Acknowledgement — Communication to Submitter(s) authored by Secretariat on 4/03/2009

4/03/2009

The Secretariat began reviewing the submission under Article 14(1).
	Acknowledgement — Communication to Submitter(s) authored by Secretariat on 4/03/2009

9/10/2009

The Secretariat notified the submitter(s) that the submission did not meet all of the Article 14(1) criteria and the submitter(s) had 30 days to provide the Secretariat with a revised submission that conforms with Article 14(1).
	Determination — Secretariat Determination under Article 14 (1) authored by Secretariat on 9/10/2009

2/11/2009

The Secretariat received a revised submission and began to analyze it.
	Submission — Submission authored by Submitter(s) on 2/11/2009
	Acknowledgement — Communication to Submitter(s) authored by Secretariat on 13/11/2009