WASHINGTON — Alabama’s bipartisan congressional delegation continued to advocate for Vulcan Materials Company (Vulcan) in its ongoing disputes with the Government of Mexico today, sending a letter to Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma.
Last month, Vulcan learned through the Mexican press that President Lopez Obrador offered to purchase the property for hundreds of millions of dollars below market value or else seize the property through an environmental decree.
Today the Alabama delegation sent a letter to Ambassador Moctezuma advocating for Vulcan. The full text of the letter can be found here or below.
Dear Ambassador Moctezuma,
It is with grave concern that we write once again regarding the treatment of Vulcan Materials Company in Mexico. During a morning press conference on July 13, 2023, President Lopez Obrador publicly stated that Vulcan would never restart operations in Mexico; he then followed that statement up with a threat to turn the company’s property into an environmentally protected area. Two weeks later, he made an unsolicited proposal to purchase Vulcan’s property for approximately USD $360 million. That amount represents a mere fraction of the fair market value for the company’s land and business operations.
Since making this offer, President Lopez Obrador has repeatedly degraded the company in his speeches. He doubled down on these threats when Vulcan alerted him, and you, on October 18, 2023, that the company remains open to a “mutually negotiated solution that would be satisfactory to both sides,” but could not accept the President’s unsolicited and inadequate proposal.
These actions are just the latest in a troubling pattern of harassment and illegal interference with Vulcan’s business operations in Mexico. After operating an environmentally award-winning business in Mexico for more than 35 years, Vulcan’s quarry in Quintana Roo was invaded and illegally shutdown in May of 2022. The company was then subject to a two-week military invasion and occupation in March of this year. These appalling and inexcusable actions call into question the rule of law in Mexico.
With Vulcan’s headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, we write to request a meeting with you on Capitol Hill to brief us about the actions you plan to take to deter the continued aggression from President Lopez Obrador and his administration toward Vulcan. We are also interested in what the illegal treatment of Vulcan means for the U.S.-Mexico relationship and, specifically, the trade relationship between Mexico and the State of Alabama.
As elected representatives from Alabama, we are proud to have Mexican-owned companies and goods throughout the state. These entities operate without fear of government intrusion as they enjoy full protection of both state and federal law. It is important for us understand why Vulcan is not afforded this same basic protection, which is fundamental to any trade relationship, in Mexico.
BACKGROUND:
The bipartisan Alabama delegation has been united in standing up for Vulcan in its ongoing dispute with Mexico.
On March 27, the Alabama delegation met with Ambassador Moctezuma and advocated for Vulcan in its dispute with Mexico. The delegation then announced that the Mexican military had left the Vulcan Materials Company’s port facility in Mexico and Mexican law enforcement had left the facility.
On May 25, 2022 Coach Tuberville sent a letter along with Senator Richard Shelby and eight other United States Senators calling on the Biden Administration to take action against aggression by Mexico against American companies with investments or operations in Mexico, such as Vulcan.
On May 12, 2022, Coach Tuberville spoke on the Senate floor in support of Vulcan.
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