The ECNT's lawyers also allege that the funding contract, which was signed on September 9, just days after they applied for an urgent court hearing, was an attempt to interfere in the case. It says federal Resources Minister Keith Pitt should have considered the negative climate change impacts that developing the onshore shale gasfield could have before he awarded a $21 million grant.
The Environment Centre NT is attempting to stop Imperial Oil and Gas's drilling program in the Beetaloo Basin, arguing in the Federal Court that the government grant was unlawful. The Commonwealth admits it failed over allegations it expedited a gas exploration contract in the Northern Territory in a bid to stymie a climate change-inspired legal challenge. Keith Pitt followed the rules when he funded gas exploration in the Beetaloo Basin, a lawyer says.
