Andrew Dubois

Staff Writer

   On February 20th, the US and Mexico agreed on regulations for oil and gas drilling along the border in the Gulf of Mexico, ending years of negotiations and opening a million acres of ocean floor to deepwater drilling.

    The agreement will allow joint inspection of the two countries’ oil rigs in the Gulf. Until now neither the US or Mexico were allowed to inspect each others’ oil rigs. Now safety practices can be reformed and oil spills more likely prevented. However, Ken Salazar, the interior secretary of New Mexico, assured that the US and Mexican governments retain control over their own regulatory systems.

    The agreement, that is being called the Transboundary Agreement, has its critics though. The controversy of sharing oil and gas reserves with Mexico dates back to the 1970’s when the two countries negotiated a treaty that would have defined their exploratory rights in their respective border zones, but the United States Senate refused to ratify the deal.

    Jorge Piñon who is the former president of Amoco Oil Latin America said, “Mexico doesn’t have the resources to combat a major oil spill, and the United States does. Coordination and sharing communications, training, personnel, equipment, and technology are essential for safe and productive drilling in the gulf.”

    Gasoline prices are on the rise; one source suggests that by summer we could hit five dollars for a gallon of gas. This agreement and the subsequent oil and gas that will be made available to markets is aimed to combat those rising prices.