{"id":1125839,"date":"2019-07-10T16:38:35","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T16:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=996244"},"modified":"2019-07-10T16:38:35","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T16:38:35","slug":"chile-to-triple-fines-for-environmental-damages-infractions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1125839","title":{"rendered":"Chile to triple fines for environmental damages, infractions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chilean President Sebastian Pi\u00f1era has submitted a series of modifications to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.camara.cl\/pley\/pley_detalle.aspx?prmID=12927&amp;prmBoletin=12398-12\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">bill introduced earlier this year<\/a>, which would set stiffer fines and jail time for serious violations of the country\u2019s environmental rules.<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The proposed law would make it a<br \/>\ncrime to mislead environmental inspectors or to obstruct the enforcement of<br \/>\nenvironmental regulations in the world\u2019s top copper producing country.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the amendments, the<br \/>\ngovernment has tripled the related fines to up to $215,000 from a previous top<br \/>\nof $70,000 and defined the scope of what would be considered environmental<br \/>\ndamage.<\/p>\n<p>The new law would also empower<br \/>\nlocal and regional authorities to more closely supervise mitigation efforts of<br \/>\nprojects that have the potential to pose serious environmental threats.<\/p>\n<p>Most environmental crimes in Chile<br \/>\nare currently handled by civil or environmental tribunals, or through<br \/>\nout-of-court settlements with regulators.<\/p>\n<p>The ex-prosecutor for the Ministry<br \/>\nof the Environment, Jorge Cash, said that while the changes point in the right<br \/>\ndirection, they only apply to companies and not to its top executives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe proposed law lacks of means to attribute criminal responsibility to managers,\u201d Cash told <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latercera.com\/pulso\/noticia\/gobierno-triplica-multa-maxima-delito-ambiental-indicacion-sustitutiva\/733495\/\" >local newspaper <em>La Tercera<\/em><\/a>. \u201cWithout that, the most affected executives with be the middle men, not the decision makers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chile has a history of imposing<br \/>\nhefty fines to miners that breach environmental regulations. In 2015, the Superintendence<br \/>\nof the Environment (SMA) ordered Lumina Copper&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mining.com\/chile-imposes-2nd-highest-fine-history-pan-pacific-caserones-mine\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to pay $11.9 million<\/a>&nbsp;for infractions to the provisions<br \/>\nestablished in its mining permit, including failure to implement mitigation<br \/>\nmeasures to prevent the contamination of underground water supplies&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At the time, it was the<br \/>\nsecond-highest fine the SMA had imposed since it was created in 2012.<\/p>\n<p>The largest penalty until then \u2014<br \/>\n$16 million \u2014 was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mining.com\/chile-imposes-16-million-in-fines-to-barrick-for-environmental-violations-at-pascua-lama-64050\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued in 2013 to Barrick Gold<\/a>\u2019s (TSX:ABX) (NYSE:GOLD) now<br \/>\nshelved Pascua Lama gold and silver mine.<\/p>\n<p>The amended initiative would need to pass both<br \/>\nchambers of Chile\u2019s Congress before becoming law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Government seeks to impose fines of up to $215,000 per each violation to the country&rsquo;s environmental rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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