Supreme Court Ruling Threatens Entire UK Oil and Gas Industry

Written by Will Jones on June 27, 2024. Posted in Current News

The future of Britain’s oil and gas industry has been thrown into doubt after a landmark decision by the Supreme Court that found emissions from burning ‘fossil fuels’ must be considered when approving new drilling sites

The Telegraph has more.

The court ruled on Thursday that emissions from burning fossil fuels must be considered when approving new drilling sites.

It is the latest development in the case brought by Sarah Finch, a Surrey resident who challenged the local council’s decision to allow the expansion of an oil site at Horse Hill in 2019.

Ms. Finch, acting on behalf of Weald Action Group, argued that the environmental impact assessment had only considered emissions from the extraction of oil – and wrongly ignored those produced when the oil was burned.

The Supreme Court has sided with her, handing down a decision that has huge implications for the entire U.K. oil and gas industry.

Legal experts say the decision could influence the way in which new fossil fuel projects are assessed in the U.K., forcing planning officials and energy companies to justify emissions generated by oil and gas.

Ms. Finch triumphed at the Supreme Court after her case was dismissed by the High Court and the Court of Appeal.

Surrey County Council had sought to challenge her case on the basis that the law did not require it to consider “downstream” emissions as part of the assessment.

In its decision on Thursday, Supreme Court justices ruled three-to-two in favour of allowing her appeal. In doing so, they also overturned the decision to grant planning permission for the Horse Hill drilling site.

In his judgment, Lord Leggatt said “it seems to me plain” that emissions created by burning oil extracted at the site “are effects of the project”, and as a result “it follows that the council’s decision was unlawful”.

Leftist lawfare strikes again – thanks to idiotic legislation that gives activist judges a free hand.

See more here dailysceptic.org

Editor’s note: I find it hard to believe Supreme Court judges are ‘activists’. They are probably older people who are far less likely to fall for the climate scam. My guess is they have been instructed by an outside agency to make these rulings.

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