Document Actions
Irving Oil Refinery Challenge
Status: In Progress
Federal Court lawsuit challenging Saint John oil refinery
In January 2008, Ecojustice launched an Application for Judicial Review in the Federal Court of Canada challenging the environmental assessment of Irving Oil's proposed oil refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick.
The multi-billion dollar Irving refinery is expected to generate massive amounts air pollution, including 3 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Yet the federal government refused to undertake a full environmental assessment, instead restricting its assessment to studying only the impacts of the project's wharf structure -- not the refinery itself.
The lawsuit argues that under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act the federal government must study and minimize the harmful environmental impacts of these types of large-scale industrial projects.
Government respondents include Environment Canada, Transport Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Irving Oil Ltd. is also a respondent to the suit.
The case will likely be heard in Federal Court in mid-2008.
Ecojustice Staff:
Justin Duncan, Staff Lawyer, Toronto
Clients:
Conservation Council of New Brunswick's Fundy Baykeeper
Friends of the Earth Canada
