Argentina's senate approved a core reform in the country's glacier protection law, a landmark decision long pursued by the mining industry and President Javier Milei.
In a tight vote, Argentina's senate ruled 40-31 in favor of reforming the law, narrowly exceeding the 36 votes needed for an approval.
The bill now moves to the chamber of deputies, where it needs another approval vote to be sanctioned. Since Milei strongly backs the reform, his party and allies that usually side with the administration in big votes should make up the necessary majority to pass the bill. Still, another tight vote is expected, so the outcome remains uncertain.
If approved, the country's provinces will now be able to decide which glaciers are important to their water resources and which are not. The "non-functional" glaciers would then be allowed to become mining sites.
Reforms to the glacier protection law have been pitched several times, but this would be the first change in its text since it was sanctioned in 2010.
The updated legislation is expected to be a major boost to Argentina's stagnant copper industry, as several resources of the red metal are found within the glaciers' perimeters. The country's mining secretary released a report in early February forecasting that Argentina would account for 6.1pc of the world's copper production by 2035 at over 1.5mn metric tonnes (t)/yr.
Javier Milei's office said that law in its original form allows for misinterpretation that creates legal uncertainty, curtails investments and deprives provinces the right to regulate their natural resources.
The original law, among other restrictions, forbids mineral exploration and extraction within the glaciers' perimeter, which is currently set by the Argentinian institute of nivology, glaciology and environmental sciences (IANIGLA) based on unclear criteria, Milei said on 14 November.
After an hours-long debate, the senate passed the updated bill with strong support from mining provinces Mendonza, San Juan, Catamarca and Salta, and non-mining provinces such as Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego — home to part of Patagonia.
The decision, however, was far from unanimous, as those opposed included, but were not limited to, the Cordoba, La Rioja, Santa Cruz, and Buenos Aires provinces.
Agustín Coto, a senator representing Tierra del Fuego, said that the IANIGLA would remain in control of the country's glacier inventory and would not be dismantled or defunded.
"The provinces will now be able to remove or add [glaciers] from the inventory based on technical and scientific criteria," Coto said. "I find it valuable that [a law] recognizes that the provinces are not savages."
Guillermo Andrada, a senator representing the Catamarca province, also defended the reform. Mining is Catamarca's main source of income.
"There is a golden rule to what we are proposing: no one is to touch glaciers that act as a water reserve," he said, echoing the common argument among officials that defended the reform.
Backlash is expected to follow
The proposed reform has faced criticism from several fronts since it was introduced by Javier Milei on 14 November.
Opponents say changes to the glacier protection law could affect Argentina's water supply. Meltwater from glaciers helps maintain river levels across the country and supports irrigation for agricultural production.
Hours before the debate, Greenpeace activists entered the Argentinian Senate building but were removed after a brief confrontation with police.
Inside the Senate, several lawmakers voiced their concerns with the reform during the debate.
"This is not about mining," said Alejandra Vigo, a senator representing the Cordoba province. "This is about water; the most important resource Argentina has for our development and for the future of investments in our country."
In early February, protests took place in more than 35 cities nationwide. Demonstrators argued that reducing protections for glaciers could affect river basins fed by Andean ice and glaciers' perimeters. Protests are expected to resurface now the reform has been approved.
