Submission

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

The Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to effectively enforce its environmental laws with respect to the contamination caused by a hydrocarbon spill in the Salina Cruz refinery, in Oaxaca, Mexico.

In the submission, the Submitter —a former Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) worker— asserts that, between 2019 and 2022, he issued various reports denouncing hydrocarbon spills in the drainage systems inside the Salina Cruz refinery, as well as in areas outside the industrial facilities, including beach, lagoon and estuary ecosystems. The Submitter states that these reports were addressed to various administrative units of Pemex and that, in the absence of any response or corrective measures, the matter was reported to the environmental authorities and to the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la República). According to the Submitter, these actions resulted in reprisals against him. The Submitter confirms that the hydrocarbon spills continued both inside and outside the company's facilities, a situation that subsequently led to a fire with fatal consequences.

Names and citations of the environmental laws in question:

The Submitter bases his assertions on the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States (Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos) and on provisions of the Federal Act on Environmental Responsibility (Ley Federal de Responsabilidad Ambiental) and the Safety and Hygiene Regulation of Petróleos Mexicanos and its Productive Subsidiary Companies (Reglamento de Seguridad e Higiene de Petróleos Mexicanos y sus Empresas Productivas Subsidiarias).

Submitter(s):

Anibal Carrasco Sánchez