Long ago and far away? Oil company liability
Chevron is not the only US oil company facing blockbuster claims for damages from South American indigenous groups, due to past environmental damage apparently sanctioned by their governments. The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to allow 25 Peruvian plaintiffs to sue Occidental …
View the post titled Long ago and far away? Oil company liabilityThe Agent Orange story keeps growing
We are closely watching the growing story about Agent Orange use in Ontario, and the possible toll it may be taking on affected workers. Mutagenic pesticides like Agent Orange can take decades to make people sick. And when a 60 or 70 year old gets cancer, it can be fiendishly hard to know wh…
View the post titled The Agent Orange story keeps growingTax incentives for brownfields
Ontario municipalities have demonstrated their commitment to brownfield redevelopment by investing in a wide variety of incentive programs for contaminated sites that include Community Improvement Plans (CIPs). Now, there is a consolidated source for locating active municipal brownfields fin…
View the post titled Tax incentives for brownfieldsMacQueen/ Sydney tar ponds class action update
MacQueen v Nova Scotia, the Sydney Tar Ponds class action, is still mired in wrangling over the proper definition of the class. Last fall, the plaintiffs were hopeful that certification was just around the corner, and proposed a revised, narrower class definition for the court’s approv…
View the post titled MacQueen/ Sydney tar ponds class action updateEnvironmental moot court
Congratulations to everyone who participated in the weekend Environment Moot Court at Osgoode Hall. I was very impressed by the calibre of the students, and by the wide support that both judges and the environmental bar gave to make the event a success.
View the post titled Environmental moot courtWind energy appeal moving fast
The first wind energy appeal to the Ontario Environmental Review Tribunal is moving quickly. The Kent Breeze approval was issued November 12, 2010. The Erickson appeal was filed on November 29. A preliminary hearing was held January 11. The hearing of the appeal began February 1 and will c…
View the post titled Wind energy appeal moving fastChevron, Ecuador, and court shopping
30,000 people, including indigenous tribes, suing Chevron (for toxic waste discharges by its predecessor, Texaco) obtained an $8.6 billion judgment this week from the Provincial Court of Justice of Sucumbios in Lago Agrio, Ecuador. The penalty is reportedly to be doubled if Chevron does not…
View the post titled Chevron, Ecuador, and court shoppingOffshore wind moratorium
So, Ontario is ducking the offshore wind issue until after the election. I suppose it should not be a surprise, given the extraordinary public and media attention that the rapid growth in wind energy has elicited, and the growing fixation of the entire political system on the forthcoming ele…
View the post titled Offshore wind moratoriumA new crime: hacking carbon credits
In January, much of the European Union carbon trading system was shut down in response to the theft of carbon credits from a Czech carbon registry. Blackstone Global Ventures announced: Stolen EUA. Yesterday at 12 CET 475 000 allowances were unlawfully removed from our account with the Czech…
View the post titled A new crime: hacking carbon creditsBig fees for renewable energy approvals
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has announced its intention to start charging significant fees for applications for renewable energy approvals: EBR 011-1203. The new Renewable Energy Approval fee structure will come into effect on March 15, 2011.
View the post titled Big fees for renewable energy approvalsReceive Blog Posts
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