The closure of a large US-owned limestone quarry in Mexico has jolted investors and the world’s largest bilateral trade relationship, in a case seen as a thermometer for the political and legal climate under President Claudia Sheinbaum. The limestone quarry on Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, which dates from the 1980s, was thrust into the spotlight by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“With a company that oversteps the limits, there’s no way, you have to go to the courts and apply the law,” a representative for environmental ministry SEMARNAT said. Vulcan said the government’s claims are baseless and that it won plaudits from prior administrations for its sound environmental record. The government’s actions should serve as a warning shot for other investors, it added.