Mexico lower house backs mining law change to nationalize lithium
MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Mexico's lower house of Congress on Monday passed an amendment to mining legislation in order to nationalize the country's lithium reserves, a day after the bill was sent to lawmakers by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The president's initiative, approved with 298 votes in favor, modified parts of a 1992 law, and states that lithium exploration, exploitation and use will be exclusively reserved for the Mexican state under a federal authority.
Lopez Obrador sent the proposal to Congress after the defeat on Sunday night of a broader electricity sector overhaul he had championed. The proposal now passes to the Senate.