Texas and Mexico are working on a collaborative agreement thatwould establish a natural gas and liquids pipeline permittingprocess for potential future projects.

The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates natural gas andLPG transportation and distribution in the state, sent CommissionerCharles R. Matthews to Mexico as its representative to meet withMexico’s Comision Reguladora de Energia (CRE) last week. Matthewsand CRE representatives agreed to begin exchanging information toformalize an agreement, and will begin by conducting workshops onregulations and safety standards that exist in the two regions.

In July, Matthews, Jess Totten from the Texas Public UtilitiesCommission and Jorge Garces from the Texas Secretary of State’soffice held a roundtable discussion about the cross-border economicopportunities. Within the next 10 to 15 years, the U.S./Mexicoborder infrastructure will become integrated through highways,rail, electric grids and pipelines. Mexico has begun to privatizeits natural gas industry, and has deregulated electricity already.

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