The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) was created by initiative of Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon, on November 30, 2000.

 

Followed by the approval of Congress, it was published in the Official Journal of the Federation a Decree which amended, supplemented or repealed certain provisions of the Federal Organic Law of Public Administration (Ley Orgánica de la Administración Pública Federal), Federal Act on Radio and Television (Ley Federal de Radio y Televisión), General Act on establishing the basis for the Coordination of the National System of Public Security (Ley General que establece las Bases de Coordinación del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública), Federal Preventive Police Act (Ley de la Policía Federal Preventiva) and the Fisheries Act (Ley de Pesca). In specific, Article 32 Bis of the Federal Organic Law of Public Administration, establishes the powers of Minister, which entrust the following matters:

I. Promote the protection, restoration and preservation of ecosystems, natural resources and environmental goods and services, to encourage their use and sustainable development;

II. Develop and conduct national policy on natural resources, as long as not specifically entrusted to another agency; and also, in ecology, environmental sanitation, water, environmental regulation of urban development and fisheries, with the corresponding participation of other agencies and entities;

 

III. Manage and regulate the use and promote the sustainable use of natural resources that belong to the Federation, except for oil and all liquid, solid and gas, hydrogen carbide and radioactive minerals;

 

IV. Establish, with corresponding participation to other agencies and state and municipal authorities, Mexican Official Standards  (Normas Oficiales Mexicans known by the acronym NOMS) on preservation and restoration of environmental quality; of natural ecosystems; of sustainable use of natural resources and wildlife, land and water; of wastewater discharge; and of mining, hazardous materials and solid waste;

V. Monitor and promote, in coordination with federal, state and municipal authorities, compliance with the law, Mexican Official Standards and programs related to natural resources, environment, water, forests, terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, and fisheries; and other jurisdiction of the Ministry, and where appropriate, impose appropriate sanctions;

VI. Propose to the Executive the establishment of Protected Natural Areas, and promote, for administration and monitoring, participation of federal or local authorities, and universities, research institutions and individuals;

 

VII. Organizing and managing Natural Protected Areas and supervise conservation, protection and monitoring of such areas when its administration is undertaken by state and local governments or individuals or corporations;

 

VIII. Exert possession and ownership of the Nation on the beaches, Federal Maritime Zone and on land reclaimed from the sea;

 

IX. Participate in international forums on matters of the Ministry, with the corresponding participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and propose to sign treaties and international agreements on such matters;

X. Promoting environmental management of land-use, in coordination with federal, state and municipal governments, and with the participation of individuals;

 

XI. Evaluate and determine the environmental impact statements of development projects submitted by public, social and private sectors; decision on environmental risk studies, as well as programs for the prevention of accidents with environmental impact;

XII. Develop, promote and disseminate technologies and methods required for the sustainable use of ecosystems and environmental quality of production processes, services and transport;

 

XIII. Promote and undertake reforestation and ecological restoration programs, with the cooperation of federal, state and municipal governments, in coordination, where appropriate, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food;

XIV. To assess the quality of the environment and establish and promote the Environmental Information System, including atmospheric monitoring systems, soil and water bodies of federal jurisdiction, and natural resources and wildlife population inventories, with the cooperation of state and municipal authorities, research institutions and higher education, and departments and agencies as appropriate;

 

XV. Develop and promote methods and procedures of economic valuation of natural capital and environmental goods and services Ministry provides, and cooperate with departments and agencies to develop an Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting;

XVI. Conduct national policies on climate change and protection of the ozone layer;

XVII. Promoting social and scientific community participation in filing, implementing and monitoring of environmental policy, and coordinate actions and investments with social and private sectors for environmental protection and restoration;

 

XVIII. Conducting forest and pasture land and its products, census; gather, organize and manage forest mapping and statistics, as well as keep track and care for the preservation of historic and notable trees in the country;

 

XIX. Propose, and if it is the case decide on the establishment and lifting of, forestry, hunting and fishing closures, in accordance with applicable law, and set the hunting songbirds and ornamental birds calendar.

XX. Impose any restrictions within applicable provisions on the movement or transit through the country of species of wildlife or intended abroad, and promote to the Ministry of Finance to establish measures of regulation or restriction on import or export, as required for their conservation and use;

 

XXI. Direct meteorological, climatological, hydrological and geohydrological studies, work and services, as well as the National Meteorological System, and participate in international conventions on the subject;

 

XXII. Coordinate, schedule and execute projects in education, training and updating to improve the capacity for environmental management and sustainable use of natural resources; encourage higher education institutions and research centers conduct training programs for specialists, provide environmental expertise and promote scientific and technological research in the field; encourage culture and the media agencies to promote formation of attitudes and values ​​of environmental protection and conservation of our natural heritage, and in coordination with the Ministry of Public Education, strengthen environmental content of curricular teaching plans, and materials of various levels and types of education;

 

XXIII. Organize, direct and regulate hydrological work of basins, river beds and river beds of national waters, both surface and groundwater, according to the law of matter;

 

XXIV. Manage, control and regulate the use of hydraulic basins, springs and national waters, and corresponding federal zones, with exclusion of what is expressly attributed to another agency; establish and monitor compliance of the specific conditions that must meet the wastewater discharge, whenever in federal jurisdiction; to authorize, if necessary, the dumping of sewage into the sea, in coordination with Minister of the Navy, when they come from mobile or fixed platforms; in river, streams and other repositories of national waters; and promote and, where appropriate, implement and operate the infrastructure and services needed to improve water quality in watersheds;

 

XXV. Study, design, build and maintain, with the corresponding participation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, irrigation works, drainage, drainage, protection and improvement of land and small irrigation, according with programs designed and competence to perform by the Federal Government, by itself or in cooperation with state and municipal authorities or individuals;

 

XXVI. Regulate and monitor the conservation of streams, lakes and lagoons of federal jurisdiction, in watershed protection and works of torrential correction;

 

XXVII. Manage the hydrological system of the Valley of Mexico;

 

XXVIII. Control the rivers and other streams and execute the works of defense against flooding;

 

XXIX. Organize and manage the operation of irrigation systems, involving users, in the terms determined by law, in coordination, where appropriate, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food;

 

XXX. Running water works that derive from international treaties;

XXXI. Intervene, as appropriate, in the water supply to population centers and industries; encourage and technically support the development of potable water systems, drainage, sewerage and wastewater treatment performed by local authorities; as well as program, design, build, manage, operate and maintain by itself, or by granting concession allocation if required, or in terms of the sign agreement, works and services of collecting, purificating, water treatment, transmission and supply of jurisdiction

 

XXXII. Repealed.

XXXIII. Repealed.

XXXIV. Repealed.

 

XXXV. Engage with the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, in determining the general criteria for establishing tax incentives and financial resources for sustainable use of natural resources and environmental stewardship;

 

XXXVI. Repealed.

XXXVII. Repealed.

XXXVIII. Repealed.

 

XXXIX. Awarding contracts, licenses, permits, authorizations, allocations, and recognizing rights, as appropriate, on water, forestry, ecology, exploitation of wildlife, and beaches, federal maritime land and reclaimed land ;

 

XL. Design and operate, with the corresponding participation of other agencies and entities, the adoption of economic instruments for the protection, restoration and conservation of environment;

 

XLI. Other specifically assigned to it the laws and regulations.