Mexico Bans Fracking in Key Shale Basin

Mexico has ruled out fracking in a key shale basin, drawing a line through a resource-rich area even as the country looks for ways to cut its dependence on U.S. natural gas. President Claudia Sheinbaum said hydraulic fracturing will not be allowed in the Tampico-Misantla basin beneath Veracruz and Tamaulipas. The government cited the basin’s dense population, indigenous communities and freshwater reserves. Sheinbaum ordered a panel to examine whether unconventional gas could help reduce imports from the United States. Mexico buys more than…