(AMLO) and his Morena party will face greater hurdles to unwinding Mexico’s 2013 Energy Reforms adopted by the former ruling party, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI). Although retaining a majority in the Chamber of Deputies and gaining some new state governors, Morena lost its supermajority and, as a result, very likely also lost the opportunity to implement constitutional changes to reverse the 2013 Energy Reforms and achieve its goal of a nationalized energy sector in Mexico.
Continue Reading Could Mexico’s Mid-Term Elections Signal a Return to Energy and Environmental Policy Rationality?

Facing criticism that they impede sustainable development, traditional cross-border investor protections are eroding. More balanced stabilization and equitable treatment provisions allow greater discretion to regulate environmental and social impacts. Enhanced due diligence, focused on project impacts, international standards, CSR obligations and regulatory discretion in applicable treaties or investment contracts, can help offset this increased risk.
Continue Reading Eroding Investor Protections: Managing CSR and Political Risk in the Sustainable Brave New World

From California to the South China Sea, uncertainties surrounding offshore oil and gas platform decommissioning regulations and financial obligations pose a significant risk to the environment and to responsible natural resource development. “Rigs to reefs” decommissioning pioneered in the US Gulf Coast provides a model promising reduced costs, a net reduction in environmental impacts and enhanced ecological benefits; welcomed in some jurisdictions and questioned in others, time will tell whether RTR can deliver its promises.
Continue Reading Offshore Platform Sustainable Decommissioning – “Rigs to Reefs” Goes Global

The costs of overly nationalistic policies likely outweigh the benefits for Mexico with respect to the international energy community. If the AMLO administration chooses to attempt nationalization of the considerable foreign investment which followed the 2013 Energy Reforms in an effort to stay true to its campaign rhetoric, it would not be surprising to witness Mexico’s rapid descent into international pariah status.
Continue Reading US-Mexico Energy & Environmental Policy Transition: Opportunity Amidst Uncertainty?