Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville threaten action against Mexico over Vulcan Materials property

U.S. Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville are joining other lawmakers in urging Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs to prevent actions they say are illegal against Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials.

The two Alabama senators, along with Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), last week sent a letter to Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.

In it, they observed the anniversary of Mexico shutting down Vulcan’s operations in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

They also promised to respond if Mexico carries out similar action.

“If Vulcan’s land and port are seized, we will be forced to consider all available remedies at our disposal to ensure no entity or individual benefits from the theft of this property,” the letter reads.

Vulcan maintains the Punta Venado deep-water port facility that it estimates at a value of more than $1 billion.

In March 2023, the Mexican government seized the facility, despite a court ordered stay on any government action to confiscate the property. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador threatened to declare the property a natural protected area or seize it by force if Vulcan doesn’t accept a $360 million offer for the gravel pits before he leaves office next year.

López Obrador has accused the company of extracting materials without the proper permit.

Britt, in a statement, said López Obrador’s conduct “has consistently been unacceptable and illegitimate under Mexican law and international law.”

“Key infrastructure projects in Alabama and across the Southeastern United States continue to be in jeopardy because of this Mexican presidential administration’s lawlessness,” Britt said. “I will always stand up for Alabama’s and America’s economic and security interests, and I urge the Mexican government to find a constructive path forward that will not threaten further degradation in the U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship.”

Tuberville said Vulcan has “has provided good-paying jobs to thousands of Americans since its founding more than 100 years ago.”

“Vulcan has operated an environmentally award-winning business in Mexico for more than three decades, boosting economic growth in the region. The Mexican government’s hostility toward Vulcan is unwarranted, and jeopardizes the long-standing bilateral relationship between Mexico and the U.S. I will continue fighting for the prosperity of American businesses, and I hope this situation will be resolved quickly and fairly,” Tuberville said.