Background on the Mexican Army’s Previous Environmental Violations
The Mexican Army has a history of initiating projects without proper environmental authorization, including the Tren Maya project, several hotels, an airport in Tulum, and numerous banks of construction material in Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Cancun. In May 2025, they began the authorization process for four limestone quarries in Quintana Roo for the Tren Maya project, even though they had already started extracting materials months earlier without any permits.
Current Situation: Denial of Construction Permit in Othón P. Blanco
The Mexican Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) recently denied the Mexican Army authorization for an environmental impact assessment to build a military police installation in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo. The Army had already started clearing over 45,000 square meters of forest without obtaining the necessary permit.
Violation Details
SEMARNAT stated that the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) violated Articles 28, fractions VII and IX, and Article 30 of the General Law on Environmental Equilibrium and Protected Natural Areas (LGEEPA), as well as Articles 5, incisos O) and Q) of the Regulation on Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA). The Army’s actions, including clearing vegetation and beginning construction without proper authorization, lost the preventive nature of the environmental impact assessment tramite.
SEMARNAT’s Actions
In response to the violation, SEMARNAT referred the Mexican Army to the Federal Procurator for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) so that they could determine the appropriate course of action regarding initiating works and activities without proper authorization. SEMARNAT published this resolution in the Ecological Gazette.
Details of the Denied Construction Project
The Mexican Army had started building installations with functional spaces, rest areas, maintenance and equipment storage infrastructure, and systems to manage resources efficiently for the Military Police Corps and Guardia Nacional Companies, specifically Compañías G.N. Cap. 150 and 210.
Evidence of Violation
Photographic evidence illustrated the removal of existing vegetation and subsequent change in land use from forested areas covering 45,531.11 square meters with medium subperennial shrubland vegetation, along with significant progress in the construction of project infrastructure.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the main issue? The Mexican Army was denied authorization to build a military police installation in Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo, due to clearing forested land without proper environmental authorization.
- Why was the authorization denied? SEMARNAT determined that the Army violated environmental regulations by starting construction and clearing vegetation without proper authorization, losing the preventive nature of the environmental impact assessment tramite.
- What actions did SEMARNAT take? SEMARNAT referred the Mexican Army to PROFEPA and published a resolution in the Ecological Gazette, stating that the Army violated Articles 28, fractions VII and IX, and Article 30 of LGEEPA, as well as Articles 5, incisos O) and Q) of the REIA.
- What was the project in question? The denied project included building installations with functional spaces, rest areas, maintenance and equipment storage infrastructure, and systems to manage resources efficiently for the Military Police Corps and Guardia Nacional Companies, specifically Compañías G.N. Cap. 150 and 210.
