12 Mar 2013

Supreme Court hears appeal over coal mine consents

12:55 pm on 12 March 2013

The Supreme Court has begun hearing an appeal relating to whether climate change should have been considered when consent was granted for a new West Coast coal mine.

Bathurst Resources and Solid Energy obtained declarations in the Environment and High Courts that the effects of the coal on climate change could not be considered at a resource consent hearing for the mine.

A lawyer for the West Coast Environment Network told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that climate change could be taken into account at such hearings before an amendment was made to the Resource Management Act in 2004.

He said throughout Parliamentary discussion of the amendment it was clear that the ability of local and regional authorities to consider climate change when deciding on resource consents was a live issue.

The hearing is set down for two days.