* Reform will boost copper, lithium investment - industry

leaders

* Scientists warn changes weaken environmental safeguards

* Provinces gain control as government seeks to boost

investment

(Adds details, background from paragraph 2.)

By Lucila Sigal

BUENOS AIRES, April 9 (Reuters) - Lawmakers in Argentina

approved a government-backed reform on Thursday that aims to

promote mining investment in glacier regions, a step

environmentalists and scientists have said would weaken

protections and threaten water resources.

The Chamber of Deputies passed the reform 137-111, with 3

abstentions. The law takes effect once it is published in the

official gazette.

Pushed by libertarian President Javier Milei's government,

the reform drew controversy for allowing provinces to set their

own glaciers and periglacial protection standards. This shift,

critics say, could undermine safeguards for high-altitude ice

formations that serve as key freshwater reserves.

Opposition lawmakers accused authorities of censorship,

saying just 0.3% of more than 100,000 applicants were allowed to

speak against the measures at public hearings.

LAW AIMED AT PROTECTING WATER RESERVES

Since 2010, legislation has barred mining and industrial

activity in these areas and set minimum standards to protect

water reserves.

Governors of major mining provinces and companies say the

reform clarifies rules for investment and could position

Argentina as a key copper and lithium supplier for the energy

transition.

Domestic scientists say the reform is driven by economic and

political interests, while environmental groups argue it favors

large-scale mining projects over environmental protections.

The University of Buenos Aires raised concern about the

reform in February, urging "unified scientific criteria, backed

by technical expertise."

'A MATTER OF HAVING BOTH'

"It's not a matter of choosing between the environment and

development, but of having both," Roberto Cacciola, president of

Argentina's CAEM mining chamber, said at a recent congressional

hearing.

Milei's government has granted tax, currency and legal

incentives to mining companies, attracting companies such as

Glencore ( GLCNF ) and BHP.

The 2010 law protects nearly 17,000 ice bodies in the Andes

mountains, spanning 8,484 square km (3,276 square miles). The

Patagonian border with Chile contains some of the region's

largest ice fields.