NATIONAL AGENCY FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AND

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OF THE HYDROCARBONS SECTOR

(ASEA)
The National Agency for Industrial Safety and Environmental Protection
of the Hydrocarbons Sector, better known as Agency for Safety, Energy and
Environment (ASEA), is a decentralized administrative body of the Secretariat for
Environment and Natural Resources. It has technical and administrative autonomy
and is responsible of regulating and supervising industrial and operational
safety, and environmental protection in the hydrocarbons sector activities.
MAIN OBJECTIVE AND ACTIVITIES
The Agency shall regulate and supervise industrial, operational and environmental
protection security concerns, facilities and activities of the hydrocarbons sector,
including the decommissioning and abandonment of facilities and integrated
control of waste.
Environment protection related to the activities of the sector, intends to allow oil
companies, preventively, assess and mitigate the damage risks to the environment
and, in case of an oil spill, are carried out the necessary measures to restoring
environment.
ASEA should contemplate regulation and supervision measures in the productive
chain of the industry, referred in the Hydrocarbons Law, in other words, during the
following activities:

Recognition and surface exploration, and exploration and production of

hydrocarbons;

Treatment, refining, sale, marketing, transportation and storage of oil;

Processing, compression, liquefaction, decompression, regasification,

transportation, storage and natural gas distribution pipelines;

The transport, storage and liquefied petroleum gas distribution pipelines;

The transport, storage and petroleum products distribution pipelines, and

The pipeline transportation and storage that is linked to petrochemical

pipelines.

POWERS
The powers of the Agency are mainly encompassed in industrial safety, operational
safety and environmental protection for the industry and generally consist of:

Establish procedures, standards and operating rules on industrial safety,

operational safety and environmental protection for the Sector.

Issue, amend, suspend, revoke or cancel in whole or in part, permits,

licenses and approvals on industrial safety, operational safety and
environmental protection.

Issue awards or certifications to those to comply with environmental, health

and safety applicable legal provisions to the activities of the Sector.

According to ASEAs Law and Regulation, it will have 35 Administrative Units and
Inspector-Generals, one (1) Technical Council composed of heads of the different
Ministries involved (Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources,
Department of Energy, National Commission Water, among others). Additionally, it
also will have a Scientific Committee which will be the advisory body that will
provide technical inputs for decision-making.
ATTRIBUTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
The main ASEAs attributions on industrial safety are summarized as follows:

The adoption and compliance of national and international technical

standards.

The prevention and containment of spills and leaks.

Contingent financial coverage to tackle damages, with the previous input

of the Secretariat of Energy (SENER) and the Secretariat of Finance
(SHCP).

The facilities physical and operational integrity.

Risks analysis and contingency and emergency care plans, as well

as their compliance.

ENVIRONMENTAL ATTRIBUTIONS

The main ASEAs environmental attributions are summarized as follows:

Protection, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems and natural

resources.

Waste characterization and management.

Pollutant emissions control.

Technical elements for the countrys environmental and energy policies.

Approval of Environmental Impact and Risk Assessments of the

hydrocarbons sector.