Federal judge halts start of construction of gas megaproject in Sonora for now

A judge of the Federal Judiciary in Sonora temporarily halted the start of work on a Liquefied Natural Gas liquefaction and storage terminal, known as AMIGO LNG, in the Sonoran municipality of Guaymas, by granting a new definitive suspension on the environmental authorization of the project.

The resolution is the result of the extension of an amparo lawsuit promoted by the organization Our Future A.C. based on allegations of operational irregularities in the environmental evaluation procedure of the work.

The judicial measure prevents the construction of this land and maritime infrastructure while the merits of the judgment is resolved, regardless of the existence of an environmental impact authorization issued by the Security, Energy and Environment Agency (ASEA).

The civil organization promoting the amparo documented that during the early stages of the project, there were information gaps in the Environmental Impact Statement (MIA), omissions in the public consultation process and contradictions regarding the validity of the permits granted by the authorities.

The AMIGO LNG industrial complex plans to liquefy natural gas from the United States to send 7.8 million tons annually to Asian markets. Its operation in a second phase would generate the transit of methane tankers through the Gulf of California, an ecosystem that houses 80 percent of the marine mammals present in the country.

Conservation specialists warned that this level of maritime traffic will increase underwater noise, the risk of collisions with local fauna, alteration of sediments and the introduction of invasive species through the discharge of ballast water.

Nora Cabrera, executive director of Our Future A.C., stated that the Judiciary imposed a legal limit to prevent the material development of the work before verifying its legality, an action that is part of a legal strategy focused on protecting the regional ecosystem against the advance of fossil infrastructure.

The court's decision coincides with the publication of a letter backed by more than 100 scientists, who asked Mexican and U.S. authorities to stop these facilities because of the risk they pose to coastal diversity.