Wednesday 17th November 2021
Environmental aid does not want to give up
Methane lawsuit against Nord Stream 2 unsuccessful
Deutsche Umwelthilfe wants to stop the operation of the Baltic Sea pipeline and is going to court to have methane emissions checked. The charges get dismissed. But the climate protectors still see opportunities for their project.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) failed in court with a lawsuit in connection with the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. According to the court, the lawsuit is only partially admissible and – insofar as admissible – unfounded, said Klaus Sperlich, the presiding judge of the Higher Administrative Court in Greifswald. The lawsuit was directed against the Stralsund Mining Authority, which approved the construction and operation of the pipeline at the beginning of 2018.
The DUH wanted to ensure that possible emissions of the greenhouse gas methane in connection with the pipeline are checked and referred above all to possible leaks in the previous gas transport and production in Russia. According to the court, the pipeline has already been checked for leaks in the jurisdiction of the authority – in German territory. The court saw a need for legal protection on the part of the DUH for the Russian infrastructure. However, it is not part of the planning approval procedure of the Stralsund Mining Authority. A revision is not permitted.
DUH Federal Managing Director Sascha Müller-Kraenner announced that he would examine a complaint against the non-admission to the Federal Administrative Court. DUH lawyer Cornelia Ziehm had demanded in the negotiation with reference to climate protection not to ignore possible effects in connection with the pipeline. It is not just a question of an “approved piece of pipe”, but of the additional gas that it produces and its impact on the climate. Nord Stream 2 lawyer Martin Ohms, however, said that the achievement of general climate protection goals could not be concentrated on a single project without corresponding legal requirements.
Nord Stream 2 has been completed but is not yet operational. Certification by the Federal Network Agency is still pending. Without this, gas transport is not permitted. The authority has suspended the procedure for the time being. First of all, the operating company must be organized according to German law. The DUH welcomed the decision.