Argentina: Legal disputes arise over environmental protection and highway tolls

In Mendoza, the National Attorney General, Laura Monti, has advised the Supreme Court of Justice to rule against the provincial government in an environmental conflict. The case, brought by the NGO Oikos Red Ambiental, seeks to overturn a previous ruling by the Mendoza Supreme Court that had exempted the provincial government from liability.

The dispute stems from 2020, when park rangers discovered clandestine construction work on the Arroyo Morteritos pipeline within the Cordón del Plata Provincial Park. The Department General of Irrigation (DGI) reportedly conducted these works without the required Environmental Impact Declaration. While local courts initially condemned the public agencies, the Mendoza Supreme Court later revoked those convictions, a decision the National Attorney General now recommends reversing.

Separately, in Buenos Aires province, a legal injunction has been filed in the Federal Court of Pehuajó to exempt residents of Beruti from paying tolls on National Route 5. The legal action, led by Lucas Castrillón, argues that the current toll structure violates constitutional rights to freedom of movement and equality. The petition seeks a specific exemption for the local community rather than a general change to the highway's tariff regime, citing the economic burden placed on residents traveling within their own district.