October 22, 2020 President Donald J. Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President, We write today to bring to your attention concerning actions by the Government of Mexico that threaten U.S. energy companies’ investment and market access and undermine the spirit of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). As you know, Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. petroleum products and is a growing market for natural gas exports. In fact, U.S. exports of refined products to Mexico have tripled over the past decade. An integrated North American energy market benefits U.S. fuel manufacturers, workers, and ultimately Mexican consumers. Following Mexico’s 2014 constitutional reforms allowing private participation in the Mexican energy sector, U.S. companies invested billions of dollars to develop energy infrastructure in Mexico and in the United States to import fuel from our refineries to satisfy Mexican demand. These investments resulted in positive factors, such as infrastructure development and employment generation on both sides of the border. Despite this progress, recent reports indicate that the Mexican government is providing preferential regulatory treatment for Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) and delaying or cancelling outright permits for U.S. energy companies. These anecdotal experiences have recently been given additional credence by a leaked memo from the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, directing Mexican authorities to use all available resources within the regulatory framework to protect PEMEX and the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). Additionally, members of the governing party, MORENA, have presented constitutional initiatives that would roll back the historic 2014 Energy Reform and seek to relinquish all contracts currently in force. These efforts violate and contradict the spirit, if not the letter, of the USMCA, an agreement among whose primary objectives are to promote growth among the participant countries. Therefore, we are deeply concerned that these actions demonstrate a pattern of obstruction and urge you to find a resolution with the Government of Mexico to keep the current market conditions that the Energy Reform regulatory framework provides, along with certainty and fairness for U.S. companies operating and competing in Mexico. We appreciate your consideration of this request. Sincerely,
_____________
_____________
John Cornyn United States Senator
Bill Cassidy, MD United States Senator
_____________
_____________
Ted Cruz United States Senator
James M. Inhofe United States Senator
_____________
_____________
James Lankford United States Senator
M
_____________
John Kennedy United States Senator
_____________
Vicente Gonzalez Member of Congress
Filemon Vela Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Robert E. Latta Member of Congress
_____________ Jim Costa Member of Congress
_____________ David Schweikert Member of Congress
_____________ Xochitl Torres Small Member of Congress
Will Hurd Member of Congress
_____________ Bruce Westerman Member of Congress
_____________ K. Michael Conaway Member of Congress
_____________ Henry Cuellar Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Michael C. Burgess, MD Member of Congress
Kendra S. Horn Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Pete Olson Member of Congress
J. Luis Correa Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Marc Veasey Member of Congress
Kelly Armstrong Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Garret Graves Member of Congress
Randy Weber Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Roger Williams Member of Congress
Ken Calvert Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Brian Babin, DDS Member of Congress
Veronica Escobar Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Carol D. Miller Member of Congress
Chip Roy Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Lizzie Fletcher Member of Congress
Kevin Hern Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Jeff Duncan Member of Congress
Jodey C. Arrington Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Guy Reschenthaler Member of Congress
Steve Scalise Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Kevin McCarthy Member of Congress
Michael Cloud Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Jackie Walorski Member of Congress
Eddie Bernice Johnson Member of Congress
_____________
_____________
Bill Flores Member of Congress
Colin Allred Member of Congress
_____________ Lance Gooden Member of Congress
cc: The Honorable Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State The Honorable Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce The Honorable Dan Brouillette, Secretary of Energy Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative The Honorable Christopher Landau, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico