Plans for Oil Drilling Cancelled Following Supreme Court Decision on Climate Change

July 12, 2024 TruthUSA

Implications for fossil fuel projects arise as Labour also abandoned its support of the previous government’s decision to permit the first new UK coal mine in 30 years.

An oilfield approval has been overturned following a climate change Supreme Court ruling, as per legal experts.

Campaign group SOS Biscathorpe challenged the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in a High Court lawsuit over its authorization for exploratory oil drilling and production at a Biscathorpe site in the East Midlands.

The developer, Egdon Resources, estimated the potential of 30 million barrels of oil at the location.

Law firm Leigh Day, representing the campaigners, announced the 2023 decision to permit further oil operations in the vicinity will be “quashed.”

This ruling follows The Supreme Court decision that emissions from burning fossil fuels must be taken into account when granting planning permission for new drilling sites, made last month.

It declared the planning permission for oil production unlawful for neglecting to evaluate the “downstream” greenhouse gas emissions.

Julia Eriksen, a solicitor at Leigh Day representing the campaigners, stated, “This case showcases the significant repercussions of the Supreme Court’s groundbreaking ruling on fossil fuel production in June, emphasizing that planning inspectors must factor in downstream emissions from burning fuel when assessing fossil fuel applications.”

Significant Implications

A subsequent case the same day underscored the consequences for fresh fossil fuel projects.

On Thursday, the Labour government announced it would cease supporting a decision, made by the previous government, to greenlight a new coal mine, the first in the UK in three decades, in Cumbria.

The proposed coal mine was intended for extracting metallurgical coal, used in the blast furnace steel production process.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC), also represented by Leigh Day, pursued a similar challenge against the Department for Housing, Communities, and Local Government.

The High Court hearing may move forward as West Cumbria Mining, the company advocating for the proposed mine, is expected to contest the legal claim.

‘Effectively End our Ability to Build Anything’

Last month, critics of the Supreme Court ruling voiced concerns about the broader repercussions of prioritizing carbon dioxide emission reductions above all other considerations.

Conservative councillor Tom Jones informed The Epoch Times that incorporating downstream emissions as a precedent is “extremely risky.”

“If applied across the planning system this will effectively end our ability to build anything. It won’t just ban fossil fuels but any emission-producing sites, like houses, or businesses,” he said.

The Epoch Times reached out to West Cumbria Mining and Egdon Resources for comments.

PA Media contributed to this report.

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