Calica Seeks Supreme Court Ruling to Resume Operations

Calica, a subsidiary of US-based Vulcan Materials Company, has formally requested that Mexico’s Supreme Court take up its case and issue a definitive ruling on whether it may continue extracting limestone from the subsurface of Playa del Carmen.

The request has been registered as case 36/2025, and it is now up to the Court’s First Chamber to decide whether to assume jurisdiction. A final decision remains pending, and it is still unclear whether the current Supreme Court will address the matter or if the ruling will be postponed until the Court’s composition changes following the federal elections in June.

Background on the Vulcan Materials Dispute

Vulcan Materials, a leading US producer of gravel, sand, and crushed stone, has been mining limestone in Quintana Roo since 1986. In 2018, the company initiated legal arbitration proceedings against Mexico under the USMCA framework after its port concessions were revoked.
 

In May 2022, the Mexican government suspended Vulcan’s operations, citing environmental concerns over underwater limestone extraction. Vulcan has maintained that it possesses all necessary permits and has pledged to pursue all available legal avenues to defend its rights and restart its activities. López Obrador had previously warned that if Vulcan did not agree to alternative proposals for the site, the land would be designated as a protected natural area.

In March, a group of 35 Republican lawmakers from the US Congress sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging his administration to push for a resolution to Vulcan Materials’ dispute with the Mexican government. The legislators criticized the previous US administration for allegedly failing to act when Mexico ordered the closure of Vulcan’s limestone quarry and deepwater port in the Yucatán Peninsula. They urged Trump to raise the issue with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during discussions on trade and border security and called for Mexico to engage in good-faith negotiations to resolve the dispute.