Argentine court revokes injunction suspending new glacier protection law

A federal court in Argentina has revoked a preliminary injunction that had halted the implementation of a new glacier protection law in Santa Cruz province. The ruling by the Federal Chamber of Comodoro Rivadavia rejected the argument that an imminent danger justified suspending the national law, passed by Congress.

The court found that the judge in Río Gallegos had not sufficiently proven the need for the injunction. However, it noted that glaciers in Santa Cruz are already protected by provincial and national laws predating the contested reform. These existing protections, including Provincial Law 3123 and national laws 19.292 and 22.351, maintain high environmental standards.

The legal challenge was brought by local officials in El Calafate, including Mayor Héctor Belloni and national deputy Ana María Ianni. They claimed the new law, Law 27.804, reduced protection standards and would permit industrial activities in areas previously off-limits. The court, however, questioned the standing of the local officials to represent the entire province, stating that such representation belongs to the National Congress.

Despite lifting the suspension, the court acknowledged that multiple layers of protection already exist in the region, making the immediate authorization of harmful projects legally impossible. The National Treasury hailed the ruling as a strong endorsement of the national government's approach to environmental federalism, where the nation sets basic standards and provinces complement them.