A huge pulp mill that Uruguay has allowed a Finnish company to build despite angry protests from neighboring Argentina has begun operating. Argentina claims the US$1.1 billion Botnia mill will pollute the Uruguay River, which forms part of the two nations’ common border, and send foul air across the river to the Argentine province of Entre Ríos. The start-up of the plant, designed to produce one million tons of pulp annually, was preceded by diplomatic maneuvering aimed at defusing tension between Argentina and Uruguay over the facility. On Nov. 1, the Uruguayan government announced that the pulp complex, located in Fray Bentos, across the Uruguay River from the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú, would be granted final environmental authorization. But at the press conference... [Log in to read more]