Radio Mundo Real

The Coordination of Territories in Defense of Glaciers of Chile, which gathers over twenty social movements and organizations of the country, is denouncing that the Environment Commission of the House of Representatives passed on Wednesday a bill that "is a threat against territories, ecosystems and the entire national population".

The bill now needs passing at the House of Representatives and Senate. "This is a step towards the creation of a new regulation that deepens an extractivist and corrupt State that only legislates for businesses and continues to deepen a model of death", said the coordination in a press release issued yesterday. "This bill does not ensure the protection of any glacier, it violates human rights and is tailored to mining companies", it added.

According to information provided by the Coordination, the original bill of June 2014 had some inaccuracies but at least established some glacier protection and conservation standards. But the subsequent intervention by the Mining Council (an association that gathers large copper, gold, silver, molybdenum companies that operate in Chile, both national and foreign) and the ministries of Finance and Environment weakened the bill.

The Coordination of Territories for the Defense of Glaciers had reaffirmed in April its call to reject the new bill, warning that it could affect water access for over 70 per cent of the national population and demanding legislation that really protects glaciers.