[Intro lifted from the MostlyWater News Feed at http://mostlywater.org/more_pipeline_bombings_in_mexico --M]
[In what is becoming a time-honoured tradition in places where indigenous land and resources are being stolen by governments which don't represent the desires of the people, more strategic oil pipelines were blown up in Mexico earlier today. Meanwhile, in another time-honoured tradition, the corporate media coverage of the events failed to mention possible motivations for the bombings while racing to assure businesses that security along the pipeline has be increased. -r]
Mexican oil, gas pipelines hit again by explosions
By Imelda Medina
http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1030399520070910?pageNumber=1
MALTRATA, Mexico, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Six explosions caused by sabotage hit pipelines in Mexico on Monday, disrupting oil and natural gas supplies and forcing thousands from their homes, following similar attacks in July by leftist rebels.
Flames shot up 30 feet (10 metres) and black smoke billowed from one explosion at the Balastrera gas pipeline near the town of Maltrata in Veracruz state, as firefighters struggled to control the blaze there.
Mexico's state-owned energy monopoly Pemex said there were no injuries from the six blasts, most of which were in Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico.
Some pipelines were hit in several places. It was not immediately clear if bombs had been used.
State civil protection authorities said 15,000 people had been evacuated from neighboring villages and towns.
In July, the Popular Revolutionary Army, a leftist guerrilla group known by its Spanish initials EPR, staged four bomb attacks on Pemex pipelines carrying natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, crude oil and gasoline.
Since then, Mexico has deployed soldiers and federal police to protect pipelines but President Felipe Calderon has said it is almost impossible to completely secure the vast network.
The worst damage from Monday's blasts was to two 48-inch (122-cm) diameter natural gas pipelines, but one major 30-inch (76-cm) oil pipeline was also hit. Pemex said exports would not be affected.
Pemex, a top supplier of crude to the United States but a net importer of natural gas and gasoline, said businesses in Veracruz and neighboring states would suffer losses of natural gas supplies.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration said any loss of crude supplies to United States would be minor, as oil from the area is delivered by ship.
"Any impact on the U.S. would be relatively small," EIA analyst Matt Cline said.
Veracruz state Gov. Fidel Herrera said police had chased a black pick-up truck believed to be connected to the attacks along remote highland roads.
"They are still looking for this vehicle, which is the only evidence we have that could be connected to the event," Herrera told Mexican radio.
(Additional reporting by Frank Jack Daniel, Cyntia Barrera and Tom Doggett)
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An older article on the last round of bombings...
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http://ww4report.com/node/4211
Mexico: guerillas bomb pipelines
Submitted by Bill Weinberg on Thu, 07/12/2007 - 01:08.
Honda, Nissan, Hershey's, Kellogg, Grupo Modelo and other multinational companies temporarily shut their plants in western Mexico after rebels attacked a key natural gas pipeline. The Popular Revolutionary Army (EPR) guerrillas claimed responsibility for the explosions. The government ordered an increase in security at "strategic installations" across Mexico. The state monopoly Pemex said an explosion July 10 and two more last week affected different sections of the same pipeline linking Mexico City to Guadalajara. The explosions forced the evacuation of some communities but caused no injuries. In a statement July 10, the EPR said it was waging a "prolonged people's war" against "the anti-popular government."
The left-opposition Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) issued a statement July 11 casting doubt on the EPR's involvement, saying it "wasn't ruling out" the government's own involvement "to distract people from the grave problems that afflict the country."
Pamela K. Starr, a Latin America analyst at the Eurasia Group in Washington, called the attacks "mostly symbolic, limited by the small size and logistical capacity of the group." George Baker, a Houston-based energy analyst, also dismissed the attacks: "As long as we're talking about just some pipelines in the desert someplace, we don't have to worry about it too much," Baker said. (AP, July 10)
A Bloomberg report painted a grimmer picture, noting that more than 100 companies reduced or suspended production after the blasts, which took place in the central state of Queretaro, cutting supplies to the cities of Guadalajara, Queretaro, Aguascalientes and Leon. In Queretaro alone, 90 factories were left without natural gas as well as 1,000 retail businesses and 58,000 households. Pedro Ruiz, head of the state's industrial chamber (CANACINTRA) said: "This will be a big cost for the companies. This will cause setbacks in production and sales will drop." (Bloomberg, July 11)
The Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR) said there was no record of the arrest of two supposed EPR supporters reported "disappeared" since May 25, Raymundo Rivera Bravo and Edmundo Reyes Amaya. The state of Oaxaca, where they disappeared, has also denied holding the men. (La Jornada, July 11)
Meanwhile, an apparent accidental leak in a Pemex gasoline pipeline in the Mexico City district of Iztapalapa caused a road accident that left one youth dead. (El Universal, July 11)
