REGULATORY · CHILE
President Kast suspends 43 environmental rules
Change
President Jose Antonio Kast's government suspended and withdrew 43 environmental decrees on March 17, 2026.
Why it matters
The Ministry of Environment withdrew 43 decrees that were under review by the Comptroller General’s Office. Many of the decrees were introduced in the final days of the previous administration. The suspended rules cover power plant emissions, smelting plant pollution and the creation of new national parks. Kast was sworn in on March 11, 2026.
Implications
- · Power plant emissions rules contained in the withdrawn decrees are suspended.
- · Pollution-control provisions for smelting plants in the withdrawn decrees are suspended.
- · Procedures to establish new national parks included in the withdrawn decrees are suspended.
- · Withdrawal halts the Comptroller General’s Office review of those decrees.
Who is affected
- · Power plant operators
- · Smelting plant operators
- · Protected-area planners and park authorities
- · Chilean environmental regulators
What to watch
- · Outcome of the Comptroller General’s Office review of the withdrawn decrees
Source
Topics
World & Politics Governance Policy & Regulation Climate & Environment Environmental Regulation