It should be noted that other Patagonian provinces, such as Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands, Chubut and Santa Cruz, have already judicially denounced the increases in gas rates, an especially sensitive item for the region due to low temperatures.
In the Fuegian case, the Federal Justice of Río Grande ordered to suspend service cuts to those users who have not been able to pay the bills.
Through a precautionary measure, federal judge Mariel Borruto ordered the National Energy Secretariat and the National Gas Regulatory Entity (ENARGAS) to suspend any cut or suspension of gas supply due to non-payment.
In response, the southern governor, Gustavo Melella, thanked the decision. “We will continue working to ensure that the rights and well-being of every Fuegian man and woman are always protected. This is an important step, but there is still much to do. With the support of all of you, we will continue to move towards a more just and equitable future” , said.
Rejection of changes in health barriers
On the other hand, Weretilneck strongly rejected “any modification in the health barrier or any intervention that endangers the health status of Patagonia”. He did so during a meeting with the Federation of Rural Entities along with all provincial rural societies.
Along with the governor were the Minister of Economic and Productive Development from Rio Negro, Carlos Banacloy and rural representatives from Bariloche, General Conesa, Choele Choel, Río Colorado, Guardia Miter, Alto Valle, Viedma and San Antonio Oeste.
From the provincial administration they denounced that the changes in health barriers would represent “a strong setback of many years of work that allowed us to have an excellent health status in the province.”
For this reason, the provincial head and the sector’s leaders united in a single voice to reject the possibility of eliminating the health barrier and allowing the entry of bone-in meat and live animals to Patagonia.
“This directly attacks Patagonian health statuses, which are related to livestock, but also to fruit and horticulture,” they denounced.
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The Patagonian governors.
In addition, they anticipated that Weretilneck will hold meetings next week with the rest of the Patagonian governors to work on a better instance.. “The majority objective will be to be able to integrate the rest of the country into our region, with the appropriate health status and with the possibility of increasing markets,” they clarified.
In this regard, Minister Banacloy expressed that the possibility of modifying the health barrier “is a very important setback knowing that we would lose a lot of markets, we would lose the growth of Patagonia’s positioning as a differential market.”
At the same time, he specified that “Patagonia has a differential health status that allowed the growth and development of a large part of our production processes.”
“The proposal that I think we have to bring to the National Government is that it understands that we must unify a health status that is superior, not one that means a setback and that is detrimental to all Patagonians,” finished.
On the political level, the repeated southern complaints are a warning light on the Government board, which awaits the support of the majority of the 18 Patagonian senators to approve the much-delayed Bases law.
