Original article: Gobierno anunció veto sustitutivo en Ley de Incendios: Senador Ibáñez advierte que se busca «indemnizar a las forestales que no cumplan con la prevención de hacer un simple cortafuegos»

Government Proposes Substitute Veto on Fire Law: Senator Ibáñez Warns Against Indemnifying Forest Companies for Neglecting Fire Prevention

Senator Diego Ibáñez (Frente Amplio) has called the announcement made by Agriculture Minister Jaime Campos regarding the government’s proposal for a substitute veto on the Fire Law project «unacceptable.»

The Secretary of State participated in a session of the Chamber where the report from the mixed committee on this initiative was approved and dispatched, as it reaches its final stages of legislative processing.

It is important to note that a substitute veto allows the President of the Republic to return a bill approved by Congress, replacing a specific phrase, article, or text with a proposal drafted by the Executive.

In this context, Minister Campos argued for La Moneda’s position, stating that «this government did not participate in any stages of discussion regarding this text and does not agree with its content.»

«Therefore, through the substitute veto, all matters deemed necessary by this administration for fire prevention will be included,» Campos asserted, outlining that the future veto «will include payment and compensation to property owners for damages incurred.»

According to Senator Ibáñez, what the Kast government intends is to «veto the Fire Law that has been stalled in Congress for over three years.»

«Minister Jaime Campos wants to indemnify forest companies that fail to implement simple firebreaks, essentially turning a preventive measure into a speculative business,» emphasized the lawmaker.

«Believing that creating a firebreak equates to ‘expropriating’ property reflects a level of ideological fanaticism that puts the lives of thousands of families living on the urban periphery adjacent to rural land at risk,» added the parliamentarian.

«This is unacceptable. The climate crisis and heatwaves cannot tolerate such stupidity,» Ibáñez stressed.

Meanwhile, Deputy Sofía González (PC) pointed out that the government’s veto only serves to extend the legislative processing time.

«It is regrettable that the government, through the agriculture minister, intends to introduce a substitute veto to further delay the fire law and prevent us from having regulations that ensure public safety in the face of a new fire season,» González declared.

«Chile needs better institutional frameworks, resources to identify risk zones, and accountability measures for both public and private sectors, along with enhanced capacity to ensure compliance with these elements,» the deputy maintained.

We will continue to keep you updated.