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The point was that the decision to extract or not extract a barrell is a dynamic one. Suppose from our perspective the optimal profit maximizing strategy for the Mexican field was to NOT employ short-run techniques that harm the long term prospects of extraction. This optimal long-run strategy would be chosen by a greedy individual, because it maximizes profits. The fact that the Mexican field DID employ damaging techniques that increased short-run yields at the cost of long-run profits is a result of myopic decision making, not greed, because the greedy individual should have taken the long-run extraction path.
Just pointing out that there are dynamic considerations of extraction to take into account, and attributing short-run maximization to greed is misplaced.
