New Chilean President Michelle Bachelet this month proposed legislation to create the country’s first-ever post of Environment Minister. The move, foreshadowed during the campaign that culminated in Bachelet’s March 11 inauguration, is intended as the first step toward a new institutional framework for environmental policy in Chile. Most green advocates welcome the bill as a sign that Bachelet, a Socialist Party member who leads a center-left coalition, will deliver on commitments she made to them in exchange for their endorsement of her candidacy. “This is a positive step,” says Sara Larrain, director of the Santiago group Chile Sustentable. “We trust in Michelle Bachelet.” The Chilean Senate’s environmental commission already has approved the bill, which is expected to win the approval of the full... [Log in to read more]