(The conflict over fracking in Mendoza (2013-2019). Contributions for a periodization)

Abstract

Between April and May 2018, a strong movement against fracking—non-conventional gas and oil exploitation by hydraulic fracture—broke into the social-political scenario of Mendoza. The initiative for the exploitation of non-conventional deposits in the province can be traced back to July 2017 when the Government approved a pilot test by the company El Trébol at Puesto Rojas, Cerro El Pencal deposit (Malargüe). Since then, fracking has undergone several stages, each of them followed by social unrest.
This paper is a contribution to the conceptualization of this emerging conflict by identifying a series of key landmarks that shaped it: the constitution of the involved subjects; the formulation of demands; the set of actions taken. The periodization proposal has three moments: 1) 2013, first questionings and public debates on fracking, echoing a national situation (the YPF-Chevron agreement for the exploitation of Vaca Muerta); 2) the moment when the provincial government enabled this practice by authorizing a pilot test on July 2017, a controversial “public hearing” on December of that year, and its final regulation by a decree of March 2018; 3) the stage of increasing questioning and intensification of social protest and movements (between April and May 2018), when the conflict extended to the whole province.
Methodologically, the tool used was the tracking and analysis of several records, like the local newspapers (Los Andes and MDZ), public official documents, and statements from the social organizations involved.