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Politics : ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION THE FIGHT TO KEEP OUR DEMOCRACY -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Carragher who wrote (2380)	9/10/2007 3:14:42 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 3197

that reminds me of a gal I saw driving 580 out towards Stockton once - I guess her license plate was an advertisement for her wares: 1GR8LAY...what I'd like to know, was how she got away with that one...anyway, just saw this news about Pemex explosions - maybe Mexico is having a civil war.: Explosions Strike Mexico Gas Pipelines By MIGUEL HERNANDEZ, Associated Press Writer Monday, September 10, 2007 Two army soldiers and a civilian look on as a fire rages ... A woman and a child wear face masks Monday to protect the... (09-10) 10:18 PDT VERACRUZ, Mexico (AP) -- Mexican gas and oil pipelines were attacked in six places before dawn Monday, causing explosions, fires and gas leaks that forced the evacuation of thousands of people. The blasts reverberated for miles. No direct injuries were reported, though civil defense agencies said two women in their 70s who lived nearby died of heart attacks shortly afterward. The six blasts happened about 2 a.m. in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, the Mexican state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said in a statement. The company immediately shut down the affected lines as well as an extra line in the area as a precaution. Flames from the fires could be seen up to six miles away, said Pedro Jimenez, who was packing his family into a truck to leave. "You could see the fields of crops lit up." Dozens of families lined roadways to evacuate to local shelters. Pemex said domestic gas and gasoline service would not be affected. At four sections of the pipelines, fires broke out, while at others leaking gas prompted fears of explosions and forced civil protection authorities to evacuate several communities including Ciudad Cardel and Antigua, said state Civil Protection Deputy Director Ranulfo Marquez. The explosions also prompted authorities to close two main highways. "We still have a gas leak in the area of Ciudad Cardel," Marquez said. "There is still a risk." Authorities also were checking to see if any gas had leaked into the Chiquito River, near the city of Nogales, Nogales Mayor Marcelo Aguilar said. Starting Sunday evening, residents reported smelling gas from the pipelines. The explosions could be felt up to 12 miles away, Marquez said. Interior Secretary Francisco Ramirez said the federal Attorney General's Office was trying to determine who was responsible for the "premeditated acts." "Pemex's fundamental installations are adequately protected by our armed forces, and we will do our utmost to find those responsible," he said. No one immediately claimed responsibly for the explosions, but a small leftist group said it carried out similar attacks on a pipeline in July, forcing at least a dozen major companies, including Honda Motor Co., Kellogg Co. and The Hershey Co., to suspend or scale back operations. The attacks in July sent the Mexican government scrambling to increase security at "strategic installations" across Mexico. It was not clear what security measures were in place on Monday. Mexico is a major oil producer and exporter, with oil and related taxes accounting for over a third of the federal government's revenue. The U.S. imported 12.7 million cubic feet of natural gas from Mexico in 2006, about 0.3 percent of total imports that year. Natural gas futures rose 5.5 cents to $5.56 per 1,000 cubic feet in late morning trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange after initially rising more than 20 cents on news of the explosions. Mexico's stocks opened lower amid the reports of sabotage.