UK environmental campaign group, Friends of the Earth is set to take legal action against the government for approving the country’s first major coal mine in more than 40 years, a move that some people see as hypocritical.
With the approval to open the project in Cumbria last December, the environmental campaign group argues Communities Secretary Michael Gove “acted unlawfully” even though the government said it acted on the advice of the independent planning inspector.
Located near Whitehaven, the mine is expected to extract millions of tonnes of coking coal for steel production each year.
The mine became the subject of a public inquiry in 2021 and then the government repeatedly delayed its decision over the project’s fate after it had initially been approved by Cumbria County Council in 2020.
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With the approval in December, Friends of the Earth have said it would file a legal claim later this month as it believes Mr Gove failed to take into account the significant climate impacts the mine would have on the environment.
Other opposing parties to the opening of the mine sad the mine would create more greenhouse emissions and its approval is contrary to the UK government’s stated net zero goals but the company behind the Woodhouse Colliery scheme, West Cumbria Mining, argues it will create 500 highly skilled jobs with potential for 1,500 more in the supply chain.
“With the world facing a climate emergency, we shouldn’t have to take this challenge to court.
“Any sensible government should be choosing to leave coal in the ground and accelerating the transition to a safe, clean and sustainable future,” said Niall Toru, a lawyer at Friends of the Earth.
Rowan Smith, the solicitor at Leigh Day which is representing the group, added: “A critical issue raised by Friends of the Earth during the inquiry was the signal that granting a new coal mine in the middle of a climate emergency would send to the rest of the world.
“Friends of the Earth believes that this was never properly grappled with by either the Inspector or the Secretary of State. We hope that the court will agree that this argument justifies a full hearing.”
Story was adapted from the BBC.
