Argentina Forced to Scrap New Mining Law Following Giant Protests

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Argentina declared abolition of modified Mining Law 9209, following massive protests led by left-wing opposition parties and environmental organizations. Accordingly, a bill to abolish the law will be sent to legislature today.

Announcing the decision, Rodolfo Suárez, the governor of Argentina’s central province of Mendoza noted that the legislature will stop working on the regulations that would make the law effective until a social consensus on the issue. The governor said that the administration plans to conduct a referendum on the law, which is the modified version of the previous Law 7722.

Last week, the provincial legislature had approved the new law with a 36-11 vote in the lower chamber and 28-7 vote in the upper chamber. Following this, the country has been witnessing massive protests all over. Some rallied had even led to transit disruptions on rods that connect the country with its neighbour, Chile.

The new version of the mining law allows use of cyanide and sulphuric acid in mining, but at the same time forbids the use of mercury. The supporters of the modified law, including the Mendoza Chamber of Mining Businesses, observed that it will result in reactivation of the country’s mining sector, thereby adding to the economy and creating thousands of jobs. Hover, opponents expressed concerns over the damages that a spill could cause to the province’s waterways.