The Argentine Patagonian provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén have new governors-elect after Sunday's elections. Opposition candidate Rolando Figueroa brought Movimiento Popular Neuquino's rule to an end after four decades and former Río Negro Governor Alberto Weretilneck was elected back into office. Figueroa and Weretilneck currently hold seats on the federal Lower and Upper Houses respectively.
The Argentine province of Rio Negro has rephrased its hydrocarbons law so that oil may be transported through the pipelines to be built in the San Matías Gulf, despite warnings from environmentalist groups, it was reported Tuesday.
Argentina's state-run oil company YPF announced a mega port will be built in Río Negro to export oil from the Atlantic shore.
According to Argentina's National Meteorological Service (SMN), the weather in Patagonia, particularly in the provinces of Neuquén and Río Negro is about to set a new historic record amid high temperatures and low rainfall which have turned 2021 into the region's hottest and driest year since 1961.
The picture of a canvas swimming pool designed for the backyard of a modest income family has been used by oil pipeline operators Oldelval to contain a crude spill of over 3 million liters in Argentine Patagonia has gone viral.
Environment authorities in the Argentine province of Río Negro Tuesday confirmed the oil spill from the Oldelval pipeline in the past few days exceeded 3 million liters, while the company's remediation plan is still to be approved.
Argentina's Federal Energy Secretary Darío Martínez has toured the area near the Río Negro town of Catriel where an oil spill caused environmental damage to assess the situation and order the measures to be taken.
The Argentine province of Rio Negro has requested federal aid to control violent attacks from alleged Mapuche communities against people and property over the weekend.
Uruguayan federal authorities Monday conveyed to mayors of Salto (Andrés Lima), Paysandú (Nicolás Olivera) and Río Negro (Omar Lafluf) that the reopening of land crossings with Argentina will take at least two more months.
In a joint statement, the provincial governments of Neuquén and Río Negro in Argentine Patagonia Sunday announced all social gatherings are no longer allowed as of this Monday and until May 21 to fight covid-19 in areas labelled as of high epidemiological risk.