Emanuel Ibarra Soto assumes the Superintendency of the Environment for three years

The President of the Republic, José Antonio Kast Rist, appointed Emanuel Ibarra Soto as Superintendent of the Environment through decree No. 47, dated August 28, 2026, from the Ministry of the Environment, published in the Official Gazette No. 44,590 on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 (CVE reference 2894820). The position had been vacant since March 13, 2026, following the non-voluntary resignation of Marie Claude Plumer Bodin. The Comptroller General of the Republic processed the appointment with scope and specified that the mandate extends until September 1, 2029.

The Superintendency of the Environment is the supervisory service created by law No. 20,417, which also gave rise to the Ministry of the Environment and the Environmental Evaluation Service. Its head is part of the First Hierarchical Level of the High Public Management System and is responsible for the instruction of sanctioning procedures, the issuance of provisional measures, and the supervision of environmental management instruments. The decree was issued based on law No. 19,882, which regulates the new personnel policy for public officials, and law No. 21,796, on the Public Sector Budget for 2026.

In the same edition of the Official Gazette, decree No. 23, dated March 16, 2026, was published, which accepted the non-voluntary resignation of Marie Claude Plumer Bodin, effective from March 13, 2026 (CVE 2894824). That decree states that the former authority “is not subject to summary investigations or administrative proceedings, and owes nothing to the Service.”

Seven months of vacancy and a High Public Management competition

The position remained without a head for nearly six months. The appointment decree reconstructs the stages of the process:

• March 13, 2026: the resignation request is formalized through Letter No. 558 from the Minister of the Environment and the vacancy occurs.
• April 26, 2026: exempt resolution No. PIN-RE-00300-2026 from the Civil Service calls for the open public competition for the position, identified as Competition No. 36770.
• May 7, 2026: exempt resolution No. PIN-RE-00333-2026 extends the call for applications.
• July 24, 2026: official letter No. PIN-ORST-00023-2026, from the President of the High Public Management Council, sends the list of proposed candidates to the President of the Republic.
• August 13, 2026: Presidential Cabinet official letter No. 1179 reports the proposed appointment.
• August 26, 2026: official letter No. PIN-OO-00407-2026 from the Civil Service sends the folder with the competition background to the Minister.

The decree certifies that the designated person meets the legal requirements and the professional profile previously approved by the High Public Management Council, published on its institutional website.

Appointment with bond and immediate assumption

Emanuel Ibarra Soto, identity card No. 16.359.858-2, was appointed to the position of Superintendent of the Environment, Grade 1 of the Salary Scale for Supervisory Institutions, residing in Santiago, effective September 1, 2026. The decree establishes that the performance of duties is subject to the posting of a bond and that, “for urgent reasons of good service,” he shall assume office from that same date without waiting for the full processing of the instrument.

The corresponding expenditure is charged to Subtitle 21, Item 01, Allocation 001 “Permanent Staff” of the budget of the Superintendency of the Environment. Additionally, it is noted that Decree No. 1,442, dated November 25, 2010, from the Ministry of Finance, set the high public management allowance for this first-level hierarchical position at 1%. The associated administrative file is Paperless No. 18151/2026.

Comptroller’s Office issues with scope until 2029

Official Letter No. OF194633/2026, dated October 14, 2026, from the Public Function Division of the Comptroller General of the Republic, took note of the decree as it conforms to the law, but formulated a scope: the appointment shall be in effect until September 1, 2029, the date on which the three-year period of the second paragraph of article fifty-seven of Law No. 19,882 is completed, pursuant to article 48 of the Civil Code. The procedure was supported by Resolution No. 36 of 2024 of the Comptroller’s Office, which establishes rules on exemption from the “toma de razón” (legal review) process. The decree was signed by the President of the Republic and by the Minister of the Environment, Francisca Ignacia Toledo Echegaray.

Impact

With the appointment of Emanuel Ibarra Soto, the interim period in the leadership of the environmental service concludes, and the authority who will lead the supervision of projects and infractions over the next three years is defined. The period coincides with a cycle of high conflict regarding investment, in which the Superintendency of the Environment decides on provisional measures, sanctioning procedures, and compliance programs, such that the direction given by its new head will directly affect project owners, communities, and public agencies.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,590, Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Section I, pp. 1-2 (official reference: CVE 2894820).