Latest news with #environmental concerns
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Investors in quashed Whitehaven coal mine sue UK government
Investors in plans to build a new coal mine are suing the UK government for compensation after the project fell Cumbria Mining (WCM) had been granted permission by the previous Conservative government to build the facility in Whitehaven, Cumbria, but a High Court judgment quashed the ruling last year over environmental the British company and its Singaporean investor, Woodhouse Investment Pte, are suing the government through an international trade court in a process known as investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).The government said it did not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. WCM and Woodhouse Investment have been approached for comment. Information published by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes shows Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox is representing the companies in the BBC has approached Sir Geoffrey, a former attorney general, for the Labour Party won the general election, the government set a deadline for WCM to decide whether it wanted to continue its planning permission application, but the company dropped the plans. 'Potential for huge compensation' The ISDS is a system built into trade agreements between countries which allows investors to sue governments if they believe they made unfair the process does not have the power to reverse the coal mine decision, the government could be asked to pay compensation. No further details have been released on the specifics of the claim brought to the court by WCM and Woodhouse Global Justice Now said ISDS were increasingly used to "challenge necessary climate action" and they are calling for the government to withdraw from such Rickard, trade campaign manager at the organisation, said while details of how much WCM was claiming had not been disclosed, the compensation awards could be "enormous".Global ISDS Tracker, a website which pulls together data from known ISDS cases, shows the last successful challenge submitted by a company for a mining project, saw Turkey ordered to pay $4.4m (£3.2m) to investors in 1998 and 2023, the tracker shows 22 cases out of 123 were decided in favour of investors, with $7.5bn (£5.5m) awarded to Rickard said the concern was not just over the amount of compensation the UK government might be asked to pay "out of the public purse", but also for the high legal costs involved in representing said: "What investment treaties with ISDS do is freeze in time an investors' special rights to expect to make a certain amount of profit in another country, which is fundamentally at odds with that country's sovereign right to maintain a dynamic policy environment to legislate in the public interest and respond to crises."The government declined to comment on whether it would review its stance on ISDS. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
CBC
29-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Coxheath Hills residents worried about silence surrounding proposed CBRM copper mine
Social Sharing Residents in the Coxheath Hills area about 10 kilometres southwest of Sydney, N.S., are nervously awaiting word on the status of a proposed copper mine. Nova Copper offered to buy some land two years ago from Cape Breton Regional Municipality for its proposed mining project, but council declined to publicly consider it. Laura MacNeil, president of the Keep Coxheath Clean Association, said residents are worried a copper mine could hurt wildlife and ruin the drinking water. "The community has to be on board and we are simply not," she said in a recent interview. "We refuse to become a sacrifice zone." MacNeil said CBRM council promised consultation with residents two years ago, but is no longer responding to requests for information. "It's really concerning," she said. "We are a group of citizens who have legitimate concerns with this project. It has the potential to poison our drinking water, so we kind of feel like we're yelling into the void." Copper exploration ongoing Copper is a critical mineral needed for batteries, electric motors and renewable energy. According to the Mining Association of Nova Scotia, the first exploration for copper in the Coxheath Hills began in 1878. Nova Copper president Harry Cabrita has said the project is still in its exploration phase and workers are collecting mineral samples over a wide area. According to the Keep Coxheath Clean Association, a freedom of information request with CBRM uncovered a letter from the company to Coun. Esmond (Blue) Marshall last fall. In it, Nova Copper said it would be reaching out to First Nations leaders and creating a community liaison committee "in the weeks to come." No one from Nova Copper would provide an interview, but spokesman Joe Hines said in an email that the company is close to signing an agreement. He did not say what that agreement would mean. Marshall, who represents the Coxheath Hills area on CBRM council, said in a phone call last week that he has not heard anything lately about the proposed mine. Meanwhile, MacNeil called it upsetting that the provincial government is pushing for the development of critical metals like copper. "That was not part of their platform when we were in the election back in the fall, so it's disappointing that they are now deciding without the voters' say that this is the direction we're taking. "We believe in development. We know that's so important. We need jobs in Nova Scotia, but it can't be at any cost." MacNeil said the silence around the project has residents wondering if it is being advanced without public scrutiny. "You know, mining waste is toxic. It can affect entire watersheds. "This is a really serious concern. This is not NIMBYism. This is our water supply. Are we going to be able to drink it? That is a fundamental issue here that nobody seems to be recognizing." Environmental agency ACAP Cape Breton has been collecting data on biodiversity in the area during the month of June for the past two years. Executive director Kathleen Aikens said it's too soon to talk about this year's findings, but last year volunteers found older forests, a variety of trees, plants and animals, as well as an olive-sided flycatcher — a bird considered a species at risk. She said that does not necessarily mean the area needs to be protected and more studies are needed before deciding whether a mine should open there. "Really. it's about having as much information as possible to make good decisions," Aikens said.
