The Legislature must make a political decision on a technical report,” stated Latorre. If the project gets legislative approval, Cobre Mendocino will mark Mendoza's formal entry into copper production with reinforced environmental controls and real-time monitoring, as promised by the ruling party. It is the first medium-scale copper project in Mendoza and one of the most significant in the country since Bajo de la Alumbrera. The meeting was attended by the Minister of Energy and Environment, Jimena Latorre (via Zoom), the Director of Mining, Jerónimo Shantal, the Vice Governor Hebe Casado, and lawmakers from all blocs. This Monday, Deputies began to debate the project. For now, deputies will continue to analyze the documentation and receive specialists before issuing a report. The debate, they say in the Legislature, is just beginning. This article was first published in Mendoza Today. Source: Mendoza Today. “The process was regulated and technically founded.” Among them are the creation of an Environmental Management Unit (UGA), a Socio-Environmental and Compensation Fund, and an Integrated Monitoring and Early Warning System (SIMAT) that will incorporate sensors, cameras, and digital traceability of loads connected to the Mining Environmental Police Control Center. It is also planned that the company will be obliged to present annual sustainability reports (ESG), community liaison protocols, and participatory water and air monitoring together with the local population. “With the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), we will not only have the current photo, but the complete movie of the project's environmental behavior,” explained Shantal during the presentation. Citizen Participation and Next Steps. The file includes technical reports, university studies, and consultations with indigenous communities, in addition to a public hearing with historic participation. Photo: Legislature. Stage-based Controls and Digital Monitoring. The Government presented a scheme of environmental control by stages—construction, operation, closure, and post-closure—and new monitoring mechanisms. In a plenary session of five commissions, the Chamber of Deputies began this Monday the analysis of the project sent by the Executive to ratify the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) of PSJ Cobre Mendocino, located 37 kilometers from Uspallata.
