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Ecology Action, et al. v. Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Filing Date: 2020
Reporter Info: 2020 FC 663
Status: Pending
Case Categories:
  • Suits against governments
    • Environmental assessment and permitting
      • Natural resource extraction
Jurisdictions:
Principal Laws:
  • Canada
    • Impact Assessment Act
Summary:

On May 11, 2020, on behalf of Ecology Action Centre, Sierra Club Canada Foundation and WWF-Canada, Ecojustice took legal action against the Canadian government, alleging a failure to properly assess the risks of exploratory drilling for oil and gas off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The application for review asserts that the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada relied on a deficient assessment report in completing its regional assessment of offshore exploratory drilling in the region under the Impact Assessment Act. The complainants contend, among other things, that an increase in offshore oil and gas exploration threatens Canada's commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The complaint seeks an order declaring that the report is not a "regional assessment" within the meaning of the Impact Assessment Act, an order quashing the report and sending it back to the Regional Assessment Committee for the Regional Assessment of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploratory Drilling East of Newfoundland and Labrador to redo the assessment, an order prohibiting the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from making a regulation based on the report to exempt from assessment under the Act certain exploratory drilling activities, and an interim order staying the effect of the proposed regulation. The government filed a motion to dismiss. On June 3, a federal court in Ottawa denied the motion to dismiss, and denied the complainants' motion for an interim order.

At Issue: Environmental groups challenged approval of exploratory drilling, including on climate grounds
Case Documents:
Filing Date Type File Summary
05/11/2020 Application Download No summary available.
06/03/2020 Decision Download No summary available.

© 2023 · Sabin Center for Climate Change Law · U.S. Litigation Chart made in collaboration with Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP

The materials on this website are intended to provide a general summary of the law and do not constitute legal advice. You should consult with counsel to determine applicable legal requirements in a specific fact situation.