January 24, 2019 - 2:16 PM
MEXICO CITY - Mexican regulators say a new Gulf coast oil refinery spearheaded by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador did not have appropriate permits when contractors cut down 205 acres (83 hectares) of mangroves.
Mangrove thickets protect shorelines and ecosystems, and removal of the small trees is prohibited in Mexico.
The Security, Energy and Environment Agency said Thursday the contractors will be fined about $700,000 and must restore the destroyed vegetation.
Lopez Obrador says the planned refinery in Dos Bocas, in his native Tabasco state, has all necessary permits.
Another of Lopez Obrador's pet projects is a rail line across the Yucatan peninsula. It will use electrical-line rights of way across the low jungle around the ruins of Calakmul. But activists have raised doubts about the environmental impact of the train.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019