Córdoba Passes Controversial Environment Law amid Protests

Protests continue in Córdoba after last night’s approval of the province’s controversial new Environment Law. Yesterday, dozens of demonstrators vocally shared their disapproval of the law, and their manifestations turned violent, leading to 26 arrests and dozens of injuries, including some ten police officers.

The bill was first sent to Córdoba’s legislature in February by governor José Manuel de la Sota, with the purpose of aligning the provincial and national laws, to promote “environmental coexistence”.

However, critics say the new law comes in response to the protests against the construction of a Monsanto seed plant in the province’s town of Malvinas Argentinas, and have dubbed the law ‘Ley Monsanto’.

“The law has been created so that Monsanto can legally move into the province,” said Sofía Gatica, from Madres de Itzuzaingó, who was among the protestors. Gatica and women from Malvina Argentinas formed a human chain outside of the legislature to act as a barrier to demonstrators in an attempt to restore the calm, after protestors threw rocks and broke windows in the city’s legislature. However, Gatica herself was later arrested in the police crackdown.

Local media were yesterday tweeting that the police were detaining “anyone who looked like a protestor” in the repression, which activists reported sparked the second wave of violence.

All blocks voted in favour of the law, except for the Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores (FIT). Cintia Frencia, a FIT legislator, shared her opposition to the law. “We are here to vote on a law that is cheating the people,” she said to the session, before casting her vote against the project.

The new law guarantees an Environmental Impact Evaluation prior to authorisation of projects that could have a significant impact on the environment. Large scale projects are detailed in a list numbering 48 activities, including silos and seed plants with a capacity of more than 2,500 tonnes. This process includes an environmental impact study and a public hearing on the project, and if the study is rejected, the project cannot go ahead. There can also be a referendum on large scale projects, which can be initiated by the governor, the legislature, or by the citizens themselves, if they gather the required number of signatures, ranging from 3-20%, depending on the scale of the project.

For smaller scale projects, there has to be public notice of the plan and citizens can also request a public hearing.

As Monsanto’s controversial seed plant planned to be built outside of Malvinas Argentinas would have a capacity of 29,500 tonnes of seeds, it would fall under the large scale project, and its own environmental impact study was rejected earlier this year. However, the law is not retroactive, and as such Monsanto can still present a new study under the law. 

Once the study is presented, the new law will apply and a referendum can be called by either the government or the residents of Malvinas Argentinas, if the required 20% of citizens call for it.

FIT are now calling for those detained to be released, and three protestors have since been freed without charge, including one minor.

The post Córdoba Passes Controversial Environment Law amid Protests appeared first on The Argentina Independent.