SUBJ: PROFEPA temporary Clausura formally removed!
Dear friends and neighbors! We have some great news to share with you today!
First, a little background info on how we got here. In December of 2023 a small group of individuals (mentioned in our March 2024 newsletter) in North Akumal made civil and criminal complaints to the Mexican government against our Half Moon Bay sargassum barrier citing environmental damage and harm to turtles. PROFEPA issued a temporary Clausura of the barrier project while they investigated the civil complaint and the Attorney General sent a team of marine specialist scientists to investigate the criminal allegations.
The team sent by the Attorney General’s office dove on each of the anchor points, inspecting each of the installations, and reported that they found no evidence to support the criminal accusations of reef damage and harm to the turtles and other marine life, and dismissed the criminal complaint.
In response to the civil complaint, PROFEPA conducted a detailed investigation of our Half Moon Bay barrier project over the last 9 months, and this week issued a final document stating that they have found no evidence to support the allegations of harm to our Half Moon Bay reef nor the marine environment and its inhabitants including the turtles. They confirmed that the 3 small screws in a rock on the southern headland (left over from our barrier’s initial configuration) were not causing environmental harm. Additionally, they have confirmed that EPA is operating the Half Moon Bay Barrier project in full compliance with all of the government regulations and requirements. PROFEPA has now completed its investigations into the civil complaint and has formally removed the temporary Clausura from the operations of the Half Moon Bay Barrier.
We are absolutely delighted to share this news with you, and although the results of these investigations were far from unexpected, it was lengthy, and time and resource-consuming process that we are grateful to see reach its conclusion. We are looking forward to now being able to dedicate 100% of our resources back to protecting Half Moon Bay and keeping the seaweed off our beach.
As always, we welcome anyone with questions about the Half Moon Bay Sargassum Project to talk to us and give us the opportunity to share our information with you. Let’s use our community resources to support each other and make North Akumal a better place.
Here is the full document from PROFEPA informing us that the investigation process has been completed and the Clausura removed.
If you dont have time to read the entire 31 page document, here below is the original and translated text of the part that states that the Clausura has been lifted.
English
IV. Now, regarding the security measure consisting of the TOTAL TEMPORARY CLOSURE, imposed during the inspection visit on December 7, 2023, which in environmental law is of a precautionary or preventive nature to protect natural resources from human impact in the face of a potentially illegal act until it is determined whether the impact was made based on authorizations issued by the regulatory authority or not; this being established in the final administrative resolution, temporarily or transiently affecting certain freedoms or powers until the procedure is concluded.
Once the objective of imposing the security measure has been fulfilled, it is appropriate to order the lifting of the temporarily and precautionarily imposed security measure, and consequently, the indicated action for its lifting is rendered ineffective. Therefore, once this resolution becomes final, it should be communicated to the Subdelegation of Environmental Impact and Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone, of this Office of Environmental Protection Representation, of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection in the State of Quintana Roo, to proceed accordingly.
For the reasons stated and founded, this Office of Environmental Protection Representation, of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection in the State of Quintana Roo, proceeds to definitively resolve and:
RESOLVES:
FIRST. By virtue of the reasoning set forth in CONSIDERING III of this resolution, it is made known to the legal entity named ECOPROTECCIÓN AKUMAL, A.C., that in accordance with the provisions of Article 57, Section I, and 59 of the Federal Law of Administrative Procedure, the closure of this administrative procedure is decreed. Consequently, once this determination becomes final, the file is ordered to be archived as a concluded matter.
SECOND. Notwithstanding the closure determination issued by this Authority, the legal entity named ECOPROTECCIÓN AKUMAL, A.C. is urged to continue complying with its environmental obligations in terms of environmental impact. Likewise, in the case of continuing with the authorized activities of containment, removal, and management of sargassum, OBSERVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OFFICE.
“It is located for your consultation in the Office of Representation of Environmental Protection, from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection in the State of Quintana Roo, located on Avenida Mayapán, Lot 1, Block 4, Superblock 21, PROFECO office building, Cancun, Municipality of Benito Juarez, State of Quintana Roo, C.P. 77500.”
Spanish
IV.- Ahora bien, en relación a la medida de seguridad consistente en LA CLAUSURA TOTAL TEMPORAL, impuesta durante la visita de inspección de fecha siete de diciembre de dos mil veintitrés, cuyo objeto en el derecho ambiental es del tipo precautorio o cautelar que protegen a los recursos naturales de su afectación por parte del hombre ante la aparición de un acto probablemente ilegal y hasta en tanto se determina si la afectación se ha hecho con base en autorizaciones emitidas por la autoridad normativa o no; siendo esto establecido en la resolución administrativa definitiva, afectándose de manera temporal o transitoria determinadas libertades o potestades, hasta en tanto el procedimiento se concluye.
Una vez cumplido el objetivo de la imposición de la medida de seguridad, resulta procedente ordenar el levantamiento de la medida de seguridad impuesta de manera temporal y precautoria, y en consecuencia se deja sin efecto la acción indicada para su levantamiento, por ende una vez que cause ejecutoria la presente resolución hágase del conocimiento de la Subdelegación de Impacto Ambiental y Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre, de esta Oficina de Representación de Protección Ambiental, de la Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente en el Estado de Quintana Roo, para que proceda conforme a derecho corresponda.
Por lo antes expuesto y fundado esta Oficina de Representación de Protección Ambiental, de la Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente en el Estado de Quintana Roo, procede a resolver en definitiva y:
RESUELVE:
PRIMERO.- En virtud de los razonamientos señalados en el CONSIDERANDO III de la presente resolución, se hace del conocimiento de la persona moral denominada ECOPROTECCIÓN AKUMAL, A.C., que conforme a lo dispuesto en el artículo 57 fracción I, y 59 de la Ley Federal de Procedimiento Administrativo, se decreta, el cierre del presente procedimiento administrativo, en consecuencia una vez que cause ejecutoria la presente determinación se ordena archivar el expediente como asunto concluido.
SEGUNDO.- No obstante, la determinación de cierre que emite esta Autoridad, se exhorta a la persona moral denominada ECOPROTECCIÓN AKUMAL, A.C., a seguir cumpliendo con sus obligaciones ambientales en materia de impacto ambiental, asimismo en el caso de continuar con las actividades autorizadas de la contención, retiro y manejo de sargazo; OBSERVE LOS LINEAMIENTOS TÉCNICOS Y DE GESTIÓN PARA LA ATENCIÓN DE LA CONTINGENCIA OCASIONADA POR SARGAZO EN EL CARIBE MEXICANO Y EL GOLFO DE MÉXICO, vigentes, tal como también se le indicó en el oficio número W0027/24 de fecha veinte de agosto de dos mil veinticuatro, emitido por la Dirección General de Impacto y Riesgo Ambiental, de la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales.
