Energy Wars hit Mexico - EPR attacks Gas / Oil pipelines - serious economic damage

There has been little comment about 4 blasts which broke 36" (91cm) pipelines carrying natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, crude oil and gasoline over the past week in Mexico. The Popular Revolutionary Army, or EPR, has claimed responsibility for the attacks to state monopoly Pemex's pipelines and said this was .."the beginning of a "national campaign of harassment against the interests of the oligarchy and this illegitimate government."

In its statement, the EPR linked the explosions to an ongoing political battle in the southern state of Oaxaca, where teachers and leftist activists have been demanding the resignation of Gov. Ulises Ruiz since last year.

The EPR said its campaign of "harassment" would continue until President Calderón and Gov.Ruiz delivered two named comrades "alive" following their disappearance May 25 in Oaxaca.

Victor Lopez head of industrial group Canacintra told Reuters "There are more than a thousand, nearly 1,200 companies, that have been greatly hurt because of the lack of (gas) supply," which has affected companies such as Honda Motor,(Guadalajara) Nissan Motor Co.(Aguascalientes) and General Motors. Mexico's major glass manufacturer, Vitro, said on Wednesday it had halted operations at two of its plants, meaning $800,000

It is the major industrial areas in central states like Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Jalisco and Queretaro. ...and repairs are taking there time.

Pemex said on Thursday it had restored natural gas supply to the central city of Queretaro and hoped to restore supply in Jalisco and the city of Guadalajara by midnight.

"Workers at Petroleos Mexicanos connected a bypass to the Mexico-Guadalajara natural gas duct and began tests," the company said in a statement.

Mexico has deployed soldiers and federal police to protect Pemex's oil wells and pipelines from further attacks.

There was a massive explosion at 8.55 am on Friday July 30th 2004 at the Ghislengien Industrial Estate in Belgium, 16 people died immediately several suffered a lingering deatah by burns and over 200 people were injured. see THE BIG BANG THEORY – The Bigger the Bang, the Louder the Silence

Europe increasingly relies on natural gas - much of it from Russia (see previous story) , who have shown how they use it as a weapon , the Mexican guerillas have have taken a more direct way of affecting national governments.