Mexico - Draft Mexican Official Standard PROY-NOM-018-ASEA-2016 establishing the environmental protection specifications applicable during the construction, large-scale maintenance and abandonment of systems for transporting and distributing, by pipeline, hydrocarbons, petroleum products and petrochemicals in liquid or gaseous form, where such activities are conducted in existing rights-of-way located in agricultural and livestock-farming areas or uncultivated areas

National Agency for Industrial Safety has published draft Mexican Official Standard PROY-NOM-018-ASEA-2016 standard applies to persons engaged in the construction, large-scale maintenance and abandonment of systems for transporting and distributing, by pipeline, hydrocarbons, petroleum products and petrochemicals in liquid or gaseous form that result from the natural gas processing and oil refining processes, where such activities are conducted in existing rights-of-way located in agricultural and livestock-farming areas, or uncultivated areas, in national territory.

Pursuant to the Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection, the adverse effects on the environment, natural resources, and wild flora and fauna that can be caused by work or activities conducted at federal level that are not subject to the environmental impact assessment procedure, will be subject, where appropriate, to other environmental provisions and Mexican Official Standards. Such is the case for activities involving the construction, large-scale maintenance and abandonment of systems for transporting and distributing, by pipeline, hydrocarbons, petroleum products and petrochemicals in liquid or gaseous form, in existing rights-of-way located in agricultural and livestock-farming areas or uncultivated areas. These activities must be conducted in strict compliance with the provisions of the notified draft Mexican Official Standard, so as to prevent, mitigate and offset any possible adverse effects on the environment.

Proposed date of entry into force: 60 calendar days after the publication of the final Mexican Official Standard in the Official Journal.

If the Proposal/Notification/Regulation will affect your International Business please send us your representation with facts and figures before 20 February 2016, so that these can be taken up suitably.