On the firm’s Energy Law Today blog, Fox Partner Mark V. Santo discusses the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its potential impact on the natural gas trade between the U.S. and Mexico.
“Mexico imports nearly all of its natural gas from the U.S. and exports to Mexico are expected to double by 2019, with Texas fields being the primary source. At least 17 pipelines currently carry four billion cubic feet of natural gas a day from Texas to Mexico, with four additional cross-border pipelines in the works. Mexico’s demand for U.S.-sourced natural gas has been a boon to domestic producers as it has greatly offset the oversupply of natural gas production. Without this outlet to Mexico, natural gas producers in the U.S. will face a severe downturn with wells shut, job losses and investment curtailed.
The U.S.-Mexico natural gas symbiotic relationship is just one example of the tri-nation supply chain intricacies and complexities forged under NAFTA. There are countless others, such as deep supply chains in agriculture, construction materials and autos to name a few….”
Mark notes the key provisions of the agreement that the Trump Administration will seek to alter. These provisions relate to the remedies available should a NAFTA nation’s exports injure the domestic market of another NAFTA member.
To read Mark’s full post, please visit the Energy Law Today blog.