Argentinean Environmental Secretary Dismissed from Office
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 12. 3.08
Photo: Perfil.
Romina Picolotti, Argentina's Environmental Secretary for the last 28 months, was asked to resign from office by president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, several media outlets announced last night.
Media informed that causes include the support the minister gave to the glacier law that the president ended up vetoing and embezzlement of funds. Details in the extended.
Romina Picolotti had gained notoriety after supporting the cause of Entre Rios province against Uruguay's Fray Bentos pulp mills and was asked to take on the Environmental Secretariat by former chief of Ministers Alberto Fernandez. But after Fernandez resigned, her relationship with the president got worse and worse during the last months, newspapers informed.
According to La Politica online, the final straw was last week's glacier law issue. Turns out the president didn't want the law to protect glaciers to be approved because it interfered with mining interests, but Picolotti supported the law anyway.
Another project Picolotti was involved in was the native forests law, which was approved a year ago and has not yet been applied by the presidency. Native woods are another area where heavy interests related to soy cultivation enter game.
La Nacion newspaper, on the other hand, claims Picolotti's dismissal had to do with the government's distance from Alberto Fernandez and was supported with accusations of funds embezzlement with the Environmental Secretariat's budget.
Her replacement will be Homero Máximo Bibiloni, a lawyer specialized in environment.
Other environmental news from Argentina:
Argentina Vetoes Law to Protect Glaciers, Favors Mining Projects
Hazardous Companies Forced to get Environmental Insurance in Argentina
Ban Against Plastic Bags: Buenos Aires Province Joins
Sustentable '08 Argentinian Green Design Festival in Photos
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Despite of all you are saying is true (about the glacier law issue), also you should know that Mrs. Picolotti was involved in many corruption cases.
Most of 2008 budget was expended in travels around the world insted of executing the planned programs.
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FROM WRITER:
Hi Emiliano, I did include the information about funds embezzlement accusation in the article.
Best.
Paula, you're right. I missread the article, sorry!
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FROM WRITER:
No problem, thanks for commenting!
Argentine, not Argentinean.
So sez the CIA...
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FROM WRITER:
I actually checked this with Merriam Webster once and the answer was: 'Argentinean, Argentinian and Argentine are all correct. Argentine is the most widely used though.'
I used to choose that one too but lately I got used to using Argentinean because an editor at another place kept correcting the other.
Thanks for commenting!
OK, then I'll change my quibble to: there are currently two articles about Argentina on here, and one uses Argentinean and the other uses Argentinian.
Also, Argentines prefer Argentine.
FROM WRITER:
My gosh, and they're both mine! Ok I'll give you that and I'm going to unify them.
On the other point, not sure if people here prefer 'Argentine'. I'm a native and I think Argentinean sounds better for a person.
Cheers
Full disclosure, I always said "Argentinean" until someone started correcting me all the time, and then I looked it up and saw that was the accepted term.
And sorry for assuming; I didn't notice your byline until after my last comment. I think "Argentinean" sounds better too, but I always try to defer to what the natives call themselves.
(I do think you should've stood up to that editor, though.)
All best.
I guess you're right, I should have! I'm checking with TreeHugger before changing them in these articles and will try to stand up for 'Argentines' ha!
cheers