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Guilds Criticize That Forest Fire Law Lacks Prevention and Penalties for Intentional Acts

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Various guilds issued strong criticism regarding the processing of the forest fire law, emphasizing that the bill lacks measures to prevent disasters or tools to prosecute those responsible.

Meanwhile, from Congress, accusations arose of a clash between the Executive and left-wing lawmakers that has stalled the legislative discussion.

Amid the forest fire season, various sector guilds are warning about the potential shortcomings of the new Forest Fire Prevention and Mitigation Law if key aspects such as prevention and penalties for intentional fires are not addressed.

According to René Muñoz of the Association of Forestry Contractors, the legal initiative must include tools for the Public Prosecutor's Office, Carabineros, and the PDI to investigate and penalize those responsible for starting fires, considering that 53% of them are intentional.

The new law should include measures leading to exemplary penalties, said Simón Berti, president of the College of Forestry Engineers, highlighting the low number of cases in which the Prosecutor's Office manages to identify those responsible for forest fires.

Additionally, the guild leader added, the regulation must impose preventive measures, such as military patrols—something currently absent, he noted, in the bill introduced and promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture.

When asked, Senator Enrique van Rysselberghe stated that even more concerning than the guilds' claims is the fact that the Congressional debate on the forest fire law is stalled, as supporters of the Government's initiative are clashing with another proposal from left-wing representatives.

Although the guilds have been heard in Parliament, none of their proposals—they accused—have been included so far in the Executive's bill.

Source:BiobioChile