Australia’s resources minister ignored climate risks in $21m grant to frack NT’s Beetaloo Basin, court hears
by Christopher Knaus from Environment | The Guardian on (#5RDCY)
Legal challenge to Keith Pitt's decision claims development of Beetaloo Basin could potentially lift Australia's emissions by 13%
The federal resources minister, Keith Pitt, made no effort to assess the impact on global heating of handing $21m to Empire Energy to frack the Beetaloo Basin, despite evidence that exploiting the region's gas would drive up Australia's emissions by 13%, a court has heard.
The federal court on Tuesday began hearing a challenge to the lawfulness of federal grants designed to incentivise exploratory drilling in the Northern Territory as part of the Morrison government's gas-led economic recovery.
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