Mexico's Lawsuit

The hardest thing about reporting on Mexico is trying to find good news and once again I failed to do so. This has been a week when tourists have been killed and kidnapped. Also, there have been exploding grenades, more Mexican officials being shot dead, and BP is being sued by three costal Mexican states for environmental damage to its coastline.

Veracruz, Quintana Roo, and Tamaulipas have filed suit against BP for financial damages and losses. Oil is predicted to reach the shores of the Yucatan Peninsula, with the help of wind and currents, by October or early November. These three costal states rely on the tourist industry as a major source of income. Both Cancun and Cozumel are located on the Yucatan peninsula. With oil tainting these pristine beaches, the industry is expected to take a big hit financially.  Also the effect of oil on the fishing industry is still unknown be expected to cripple the Mexican industry.

This is the first foreign lawsuit to be held in a US court. These states are also suing Transocean Ltd., and the contractors Halliburton Co. and Cameron International Corp. Attorney Enrique Serna is representing the three Mexican states for the lawsuit. Mexico has already begun preparation for the arrival of the oil, with mock clean-up drills and stockpiling supplies. Serna has claimed that the states will ask for compensation for the cleanup cost when the oil arrives, the losses for hotel cancelations during busy winter hours and finally for Quintana Roo’s water supply, which is partially desalinated ocean water.