Environmental groups apply to have pipeline blocked
Posted January 17, 2014 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Environmental groups have filed an application in Federal Court to block approval of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.
Ecojustice filed the lawsuit today, seeking a court order that would prevent the federal cabinet from giving the project the green light after a federal review panel recommended approval last month.
The lawsuit brought on behalf of Forest Ethics Advocacy, Living Oceans Society and the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, says the joint review by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency panel was flawed and did not have sufficient evidence to make that decision.
Karen Campbell with Ecojustice says the panel made a decision despite gaps in the evidence presented during its 18-month review, including a federal study of diluted bitumen and how it behaves in water that was released after the panel wrapped up hearings.
The panel also didn’t get to consider a federal recovery strategy for humpback whales, which was published by Environment Canada when the hearings ended five years after it was due.
The final approval for the pipeline, which would connect Alberta to BC, is expected this spring.
