Chile Suspends Environmental Rules as New Government Shifts Priorities

Chile’s new administration is moving quickly to reset environmental policy, suspending 43 regulations introduced at the end of the previous government’s term in a decision that signals a broader shift in priorities under President José Antonio Kast.

The Ministry of Environment confirmed that the rules — still under review at the time — have been withdrawn. Many of them targeted key areas such as emissions from power plants, pollution from smelting operations and the expansion of national parks.

The timing is not accidental. The measures were pushed through in the final days of former President Gabriel Boric’s administration, and Kast, sworn in on March 11, is now recalibrating that agenda.

His justification centres on economic pressure. Speaking about the decision, Kast framed the rollback as part of a broader effort to balance environmental concerns with employment.

“I understand there is concern,” he said. “But I would invite you to look at what the public needs: growth, environmental protection, but above all, jobs. And this is in line with that.”

That framing — growth first, with environmental safeguards still acknowledged but not leading — marks a clear departure from the previous government’s approach.

Kast also linked the move directly to labour market goals.

“We want to create the best possible public policy regarding full employment, always respecting the environment,” he said.

The government, for its part, is trying to present the decision as procedural rather than ideological. The Environment Ministry described the suspension as “standard practice”, suggesting that new administrations routinely revisit and adjust policies inherited from their predecessors.

“Our purpose is that each administrative act issued by the Ministry of the Environment meets the highest standards of legal quality, safeguards the wellbeing of people, and effectively protects the country’s natural heritage,” the ministry said.