The Citizen Observatory of Air Quality expresses its great concern about the decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) to grant once again an extension to Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to comply with the official Mexican standard NOM-016-CRE-2016 on the quality of fuels . This has delayed by fourteen years the country’s ability to have clean fuels that guarantee people’s right to clean air and a healthy environment, and to make progress toward meeting its climate commitments.
The predecessor of this standard is NOM-086-SEMARNAT-SENER-SCFI-2005, which stipulated that by 2009 the entire national territory should be reached with the distribution of ultra-low sulfur diesel (DUBA) containing 15 parts per million (ppm) contains ) sulfur compared to regular diesel, which contains about 500 ppm. On July 1, 2018, the new NOM 016 established that from that date the maximum sulfur content in this oil product in the rest of the country would be 15 ppm.
Subsequently, the date in NOM-016-CRE-2016 “Quality Specifications for Petroleum Products” in the “Diesel Specifications” section was moved to 2020. However, Pemex Industrial Transformation (Pemex TRI) appealed to prevent compliance with the resolution and the CRE granted a five-year extension. The most recent change came on September 14, when commissioners at a special meeting of the CRE governing body unanimously passed a resolution extending the deadline for Pemex TRI to begin producing, distributing and selling DUBA in the rest of the country Country from 2025, five years after the originally planned date.
The decision to delay production and distribution of clean diesel comes as Pemex has not made the necessary investments in infrastructure to refine the fuel. This was cited by heavy vehicle manufacturers and the National Association of Bus, Truck and Tractor Producers (ANPACT) as the main argument to postpone the schedule of the NOM-044 standard, which forced them to market heavy vehicles exclusively under EURO VI EPA 2010- Standards. Due to this industry’s interference and PEMEX’s delay, the technological transition to better emission control standards to reduce impacts on air quality and climate change has been postponed until 2025.
All of this continues to have a direct impact on human health and contribute to the climate crisis, as Mexicans continue to breathe emissions high in sulfur and particulate matter, which includes black carbon, a short-lived climate pollutant with high warming potential(1). There is clear evidence linking respiratory emissions from dirty fuels to increases in respiratory diseases, exacerbation of asthma, lung dysfunction and even lung cancer. According to the Health Effects Institute, outdoor air pollution in Mexico caused more than 36,000 deaths from suspended particulate matter PM2.5 and more than 2,400 from ozone.(2)
The organizations that make up the OCCA demand that, in order to resolve the disclosed situation, Pemex focuses on carrying out a strategic distribution of imported UBA diesel; as well as in the marking of stations, petrol pumps and vehicles to enable Euro VI to come into force in our country.
Signatory organizations
- Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality AC
- Mexican Center for Environmental Law AC (CEMDA).
- Tláloc AC Foundation
- Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP)
- OCCAMM – Monterrey Metropolitan Air Quality Citizens Observatory
- Redspira – Foundation for Air Quality Research, AC
- The power of the consumer
- Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA)
- Front of Collective and Alternative Transport Organizations AC (FOTCA)
- Bicitekas AC
