President Enrique Peña Nieto is not the only elected public figure who openly expresses a desire for energy reform in Mexico. In a report released on December 21, Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, the ranking member of a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urges the Obama administration to strengthen ties “in specific areas of shale gas, safety enhancement, transparency, and security that represent nearterm opportunities for bilateral gain.” He also urges submission of the Transboundary Hydrocarbon Agreement (TBA) to Congress for approval and implementation.

Days before his meeting in Washington with President Barrack Obama, President‐elect Enrique Peña Nieto wrote in the Washington Post that he planned to “open Mexico’s energy sector to national and foreign private investment,” adding that his administration would “welcome new technologies, new partnerships and new investments.” Such developments would “contribute to guaranteeing North American energy independence."