Benjamin Heras Cruz, a 2015 Master of Science graduate of the Environmental and Energy Management program, has been appointed as the Deputy Director for Domestic and International Standards for the Agencia de Seguridad, Energia y Medio Ambiente del Sector Hidrocarburos (National Agency for Safety, Energy and Environmental Protection of the Hydrocarbons Sector) in Mexico City.
The ASEA, as the agency is known, is a brand new federal agency created after the entry into force of the recent Energy Bill in Mexico. Operations began on March 2, 2015. The ASEA mandate is to issue the legal framework and applicable regulations for industrial and operational safety, as well as that involving environmental protection in the hydrocarbons industry in Mexico.
Benjamin says that the new agency provides him with an ideal atmosphere for his interest in energy and environmental regulations and implementation of the major new energy reform law in Mexico. He has a wide range of responsibilities, such as developing and supervising a set of industrial safety and environmental protection regulations with which companies investing in the hydrocarbons sector in Mexico will have to comply, research on regulatory trends in the hydrocarbons sector worldwide, and developing international cooperation protocols.
Benjamin reports that the GWU has a top reputation within the Agency and is highly interested in recruiting GW interns, especially during the summer months.