Mexico City, Mexico - President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday proposed a new controversial plan to more than double her country's production of natural gas and further reduce Mexico's dependence on the US.

Sheinbaum announced that Mexico's government plans on utilizing about 141 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves in an attempt to shield the country from ongoing energy crisis triggered in part by the war in Iran.

This would be achieved via a massive fracking operation that would produce pollution, use excessive amounts of water, and raise the risk of earthquakes.

Sheinbaum argued that the energy shock triggered by President Donald Trump's decision to wage war on Iran made the move necessary.

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"If we don't do anything we will be importing more and more," Sheinbaum said, referencing the fact that Mexico is the world's largest buyer of US natural gas, making it highly dependent on Washington.

"What's the problem with importing?" she asked during a press conference on Wednesday. "Just look at how lots of countries in the world are suffering because of what happened in Iran."

Sheinbaum sought to relieve concern over the environmental impact of fracking by avoiding the term entirely and instead announcing that a committee will look for a "sustainable way" to harness the gas supply.

According to Sheinbaum, the committee will decide "if it is feasible or not... and if it is feasible, how much it will cost and how we could do it."

As part of her announcement, Sheinbaum also said that the country was also looking to scale up its wind, solar, and geothermal energy production to further reduce its dependence on the US.