By: Senator Beatriz Robles Gutiérrez
“Most of the problems in the oil industry were already visible just a few years after it was born, when—over a century ago—sudden booms and busts, price volatility, clashes between producers and distributors, and the link between oil and transportation all emerged. But above all, one question remained: Who should control it?”
— Anthony Sampson, The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped
🔍 A Historical Memory That Must Not Fade
This reflection begins as a necessary act of historical memory, an effort to rekindle a sense of national ownership—not just among lawmakers and politicians, but among all citizens. To understand where we stand today, we must recall how close we came to losing control over Mexico’s most strategic industries.
When Oil Was Auctioned to the Highest Bidder
We must remember those dark chapters when Mexico’s natural resources were placed on the global auction block. One emblematic moment came when our national oil industry was essentially advertised in the Financial Times, the mouthpiece of global neoliberalism. That symbolic gesture paved the way for Mexico’s energy sector to be opened to private companies—across the entire value chain—from exploration to retail.
Under the guise of “competitiveness,” constitutional rights were dismissed, and Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) was stripped of its central role—even though our Constitution explicitly allowed it.
The infamous “oil rounds” allowed foreign firms—many of them the same ones expropriated by President Lázaro Cárdenas in 1938—to speculate on Mexico’s resources. These companies often saw their stock prices soar merely for obtaining exploration permits, regardless of whether any oil was actually discovered. In many cases, they profited without producing a single drop of oil.
🌊 When Profit Took Priority Over Lives
The electricity sector tells a similar story. Remember the floods that devastated cities in southern Mexico? These weren’t just acts of nature—they were the result of policies that prioritized foreign energy producers over our own Federal Electricity Commission (CFE).
At the height of those disasters, water levels in dams reached critical limits, but authorities refused to release the flow, since doing so would disrupt energy production contracts with private companies. The result? Entire communities suffered while corporations enjoyed protection.
🇲🇽 A New Era of Sovereign Energy
Those days are gone. Today, Mexico breathes a new air of hope and national dignity. Through constitutional reforms, we’ve reasserted the public character of PEMEX and CFE and restored State leadership in our energy policies.
Our efforts in the Senate have materialized in groundbreaking legislation, including:
The Biofuels Law
The Geothermal Energy Law
Reforms to the Mexican Petroleum Fund Law
Amendments to the Organic Law of the Federal Public Administration
Simplified tax policies for oil and gas extraction and exportation
Each of these reforms is a clear vote in favor of the Mexican people—a step toward a more equitable and sustainable energy future.
🔋 Beyond Oil: A Just and Sustainable Energy Transition
Defending our energy sovereignty is not about resisting progress—it’s about directing it wisely. Mexico is now laying the groundwork for a just, sustainable energy transition, one that avoids the destructive extractivist models of the past.
We’ve taken a firm stance against hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and other environmentally harmful practices. Why? Because the wellbeing of future generations cannot be compromised in the name of short-term profit.
🤝 For Querétaro and for Mexico
Every vote cast in this legislative process has been done with full awareness. These are not just political gestures—they are decisions that impact every region, including my home state of Querétaro.
The time for half-measures is over. Mexico is reclaiming its path toward self-reliance, clean energy, and shared prosperity.
📚 In the Words of José Domingo Lavín
“If we possess this great wealth, and it belongs to Mexico, we must always defend it from enemies—both foreign and domestic. Its only true destiny is to be reinvested among us and for the economic wellbeing of all Mexicans.”
— José Domingo Lavín, Petróleo
✊ Final Thoughts
Energy is not just a commodity. In Mexico, it is a pillar of sovereignty, a symbol of resistance, and a key to our future. We must never forget that.
By defending energy, we defend our people.
By asserting sovereignty, we build unity.
And by reclaiming what is ours, we ensure that the future belongs to everyone—not just a few.
Autor
CEO del medio de comunicación LYPmultimedios y GreenInc.