Deer Park Refinery/ Mexicans Should Not Be Afraid to Vote

Fuel imports fall by 60 percent. PEMEX Director Octavio Romero Oropeza highlighted that the 2014 Energy Reform increased PEMEX's dependence on fuel imports. Romero explained that in 2013, 27 percent of gasoline was imported, a figure that rose to 77 percent in 2018. He said that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has prioritized a resolution to this problem and, as a result, imports have been reduced by 60 percent during his government. According to Romero, the demand for fossil fuels will increase in the next 30 years, which is an important opportunity that the country needs to take advantage of. “Mexico is an oil power, the Energy Reform in four years made us a country dependent on imports. The paradigm shift is happening, the statistics show that the supply policy is going in the right direction.”

Deer Park's fuel supply will be for domestic demand. López Obrador announced that the purchase of the Deer Park refinery in Texas is expected to provide the necessary production to meet the national demand for fuel. "An estimated production of 1.362 million barrels per day will be reached to supply the total Mexican demand for diesel gasoline, jet fuel and other petroleum products. In two or three years, we will recover the investment. The financial analysis has already been done; it is a good business for the country."

PEMEX is acquiring full ownership of the Deer Park refinery, which belonged to Shell. Previously, PEMEX owned 49.05 percent of the refinery’s shares and on May 24 with López Obrador's authorization, PEMEX bought the remaining the shares.

Mayoral candidate assassinated in Guanajuato. López Obrador lamented the murder of Alma Barragán, candidate of the Citizen Movement for mayor of Moroleon in Guanajuato, who was murdered yesterday in the La Manguita community by armed men who opened fire on her. “It is very unfortunate what happened yesterday with this murdered candidate, our condolences to her relatives. It is an unfortunate situation because it happens in the middle of the electoral process; we are on the eve of the elections and these people want to create instability." López Obrador explained that Guanajuato has had a great deal of electoral violence and stressed that despite the fact that these types of crimes must be investigated by local authorities, the National Guard will also help. López Obrador added that the government will continue to combat electoral violence and provide protection to those candidates who request it.

Mexicans should not be afraid to vote. López Obrador called on Mexicans to vote in legislative elections on June 6, despite the violence that has increased in recent months. “People should not be afraid. We have to participate and go out to vote. Many times, they (criminals) create these environments so that people are afraid and do not participate and when there is abstention, the mafia dominates the elections.”

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish