Mexico's Energy Reform and the 2012 U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Agreement. An Opportunity for Efficient, Effective and Safe Exploitation of the Gulf of Mexico
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Nature knows no legal boundaries. Resources cannot be stopped by walls with barbwire; no matter how high some people want to build them. They cross- national territories and expand under their logic. They belong to many nations, and they are there for the responsible exploitation of their communities. The Gulf of Mexico (Gulf) and its rich hydrocarbon deposits are no exceptions. The implication of this is that for the development of this enclosed sea area to be efficient, effective, and safe it requires not only the cooperation of government officials but also the inclusion of other actors, such as academic institutions, industry experts, and communities affected by its development.2 The adoption of international treaties, such as the 2012 Agreement Between the United States and Mexico Concerning Transboundary Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico (2012 Agreement), that regulates the exploitation of the transboundary fields located along the maritime boundary, is just one step towards achieving that goal, but by no means is a closing chapter. The purpose of this article is to introduce the topics presented during the 2016 Symposium on Improving Cooperation for a Sustainable Gulf of Mexico After the 2014 Mexican Energy Reform held in Galveston Texas on February 26, 2016. The Symposium was an effort to move beyond the traditional paradigms of cooperation by inviting participants from governmental agencies, experts, and academics from both sides of the border.
