Glacier Law reform debate likely delayed until April

President Javier Milei’s attempt to overhaul Argentina’s Glacier Protection Law has been delayed after opposition lawmakers in the lower house secured additional debate time, pushing a potential vote to April.

The reform cleared the Senate last week, handing the government a first legislative victory on the issue. But in the Chamber of Deputies, where the proposal must still pass to become law, opposition blocs forced the ruling coalition to accept two days of public hearings before a committee ruling can be signed.

The hearings will take place on March 25 and 26 before a joint session of the Natural Resources and Constitutional Affairs committees, allowing experts, provincial representatives and environmental groups to present their views.

The schedule effectively postpones any vote until early April, as the hearings fall just before another series of public holidays.

The Senate approved the controversial overhaul of the country’s glacier protection regime just before last weekend, advancing a reform push that would open up previously restricted areas to mining and hydrocarbons exploration.

The upper house granted initial approval to changes to the 2010 Glaciers Law by 40 votes to 31. Only one senator abstained, Julieta Corroza of the single-member caucus La Neuquinidad.

A reform promoted by President Javier Milei’s government would narrow environmental protections around glaciers by redefining which formations qualify for protection.

The proposal limits safeguards to glaciers and periglacial formations considered “strategic water reserves” or essential to hydrological basin recharge, allowing development in areas without a proven water function.

Backed by governors from the Andean provinces of San Juan, Mendoza, Catamarca, Jujuy and Salta, the initiative could unlock more than US$40 billion in mining and energy investment, according to Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party.

Provincial authorities would determine which glaciers remain protected through environmental impact assessments and gain powers to authorise projects. The ban on economic activity on glaciers themselves would remain in place.

Environmental organisations and opposition lawmakers argue the reform would weaken national safeguards introduced by the 2010 law, which established minimum standards to protect glaciers and surrounding high-altitude ecosystems as strategic freshwater reserves.

Government allies counter that the changes are needed to unlock large-scale investment in mining and hydrocarbons while maintaining protection for ice formations that play a proven role in water supply.

The presidents of the two committees handling the bill – José Peluc of Natural Resources and Nicolás Mayoraz of Constitutional Affairs – accepted a call for hearings with the government’s backing.

While Milei has made reform of the glacier law a priority, the delay suggests the administration is willing to stretch the legislative timetable as it negotiates with provincial governors, particularly those in mining regions that strongly support the changes.

Officials also hope to highlight the Senate’s approval when courting international investors during upcoming promotional events abroad, including the upcoming Argentina Week roadshow.

The proposal remains under committee review in the Lower House, with the next decisive step expected after the public hearings later this month.

– TIMES/AFP/NA