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Sempra LNG Terminal Faces New Chapter in Land Dispute A four-year-old dispute over a 250-acre parcel of land near Sempra Energy’s Costa Azul LNG import terminal resulted last month in a Mexican federal court ordering government agencies to suspend Sempra’s operating permits for that facility.
The order was issued in response to a petition filed by Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie charging that the LNG terminal was operating in violation of Mexican environmental regulations. Following a four-year criminal trial, Ritchie was declared the rightful owner of the disputed land and a court ordered Sempra to restore the 250 acres to his possession. Sempra is pursuing the case in civil court.
Ritchie has now said that Sempra needs the disputed parcel to operate the terminal legally. At issue specifically is a “buffer zone” that was required in the 2003 permit issued by Mexican environmental protection agency SEMARNAT but subsequently eliminated following a redesign of the terminal’s layout.
Ritchie claims the modified SEMARNAT requirements represent a danger to him and other citizens adjacent to the terminal. Following news that the district court had ordered terminal operations suspended, Sempra reported that an appeals court had revoked that order pending a hearing on the issue July 6. Ritchie subsequently countered that the company had misrepresented the appeals court’s action and that Sempra was only being granted an opportunity to submit expert analysis prior to the scheduled hearing. |
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