By Lucila Sigal
BUENOS AIRES, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Argentine lawmakers are preparing to vote on sweeping changes that would loosen a 2010 glacier protection law despite growing protests from environmental groups, as President Javier Milei seeks to unlock billions of dollars in mining investment.
At the heart of the proposed reform is a shift in authority over glacier protection. Under the current Glacier Law, all glaciers identified through a national scientific inventory are automatically protected under minimum environmental standards, and activities such as mining, oil exploration and infrastructure development are prohibited in those areas.
The new bill, up for debate by Argentina’s Senate on Thursday, would allow provinces to set their own standards for protecting glaciers and periglacial environments – high-altitude ice formations, often covered by rock debris, that serve as key freshwater reserves.
The debate has exposed deep divisions. Some provincial leaders, eager to attract mining projects, argue that since Argentina’s constitution grants provinces ownership of natural resources, they should have the right to decide which areas to protect.
Environmental organizations say the reform would weaken safeguards for vital water sources. Thirty groups signed a statement arguing that the existing law provides a “uniform base of environmental protection” and that the proposed changes would prioritize “economic interests in detriment of environmental and conservation objectives.”
Argentina’s wine sector, which depends heavily on Andean meltwater, has said any new activity would need to abide by current regulations and guarantee rigorous environmental controls.
Several major industry figures, including winemaker Zuccardi, declined to comment for this story.
The Argentine Wine Corporation (COVIAR), a public‑private body that promotes the industry, said it is reviewing the reform.
‘A TRUE ECOCIDE’
The reform is part of a broader pledge by Milei’s libertarian government to “end arbitrary interpretations” of the glacier law, which the government says has stalled investment and economic development. It also aligns with his flagship special investment regime, known as RIGI, which is designed to ease regulatory hurdles that officials say have deterred large‑scale mining.
As RIGI aims to provide long‑term certainty on taxes and foreign‑exchange rules, the glacier reform seeks to resolve ambiguities that mining companies say complicate project planning.
The Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies said in a statement that not all glaciers and periglacial zones – including glaciers covered by rock – represent strategic water reserves and that experts should determine this “on a case-by-case basis.”
“Modern mining can operate in mountain regions without affecting water resources thanks to planning, engineering and permanent monitoring,” the statement said, adding that the sector accounts for only about 1% of water use in mining regions.
Most of Argentina’s glaciers are located in the southern province of Santa Cruz. Mendoza, where mining is expanding but water‑intensive wine production dominates the economy, holds roughly 20% of them. San Juan, an arid province hosting the country’s main copper projects, is home to about 10% of them.
Eduardo Sosa, an environmental management specialist and former official at Mendoza’s Environment Secretariat, said 34 protests defending water resources took place in the province in 2025. He said the reform “constitutes a true ecocide.”
“It exposes entire communities to the uncertainty of a mining accident irreversibly altering the ecological characteristics of a region, causing the loss of productive activities that depend on mountain water,” Sosa said.
If the reform is passed by Argentina’s Senate, it will move to the lower house for another vote. Milei’s coalition does not have a majority in either body.
(Reporting by Lucila Sigal; editing by Cassandra Garrison and Paul Simao)
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