VANCOUVER – An environmental group has lost its legal challenge to regulatory exemptions given to a pair of dams in northern British Columbia.
The dams were built by Progress Energy to store water for its natural gas fracking operations.
The Supreme Court of British Columbia heard that the company inadvertently built the dams too high, which brought into force environmental regulations the dams couldn’t meet.
The province then granted the company an exemption from those rules.
Lawyers for the Sierra Club argued the government isn’t allowed to grant such exemptions after the fact.
But the court ruled the company did what it could to consult with local people and ensure the dams were safe.
It found the government’s exemption was reasonable and dismissed Sierra’s suit.