On Friday 24th February SLACC and our legal team sent another submission to the High Court. This was in response to letters sent in to the Court by the Government's and West Cumbria Mining's legal teams. 

We expect a ruling from the Court fairly soon on: a) whether we have permission to continue with the legal challenge;  b) whether we have costs* protection and if so c) how much that "cap" would be.

Huge thanks to all those who have supported us to this stage. Updates will appear here, and also on our website.

* If SLACC loses the case the defendants (the  Secretary of State LUHC, West Cumbria Mining and Cumbria County Council) would ask us to pay their legal costs. The international Aarhus Convention provides for a "cap" to be set in this type of case.

We lodged papers at the High Court in Manchester yesterday - 13 January.  This is a huge step on the way to challenging Gove's decision. 

SLACC is asking the High Court for permission to bring a Statutory Review of Gove’s decision, and sets out four grounds of challenge which, in SLACC’s view, mean that the decision was unlawful and should be quashed.

Gove acknowledged that 220 million tonnes of greenhouse gases would be released from the coal extracted over the mine’s lifetime, and that most of the coal would be exported rather than used in the UK or EU,. but he still concluded that the mine would be “climate neutral or slightly beneficial”.

Our claim sets out the errors in law; the failure to give intelligible reasons, and the disparity of treatment between the parties that Mr Gove employed to arrive at this contradictory conclusion.

More details about the grounds for our challenge will appear on our website over the weekend. There are several more stages to the process and it may take several months before the final outcome of this challenge is clear.

We are also lowering our stretch target FOR NOW,  until we actually get consent to start the Statutory Review, and can see how our funds stand. 

On Friday 6th Government lawyers replied to SLACC's Pre Action Protocol letter. This will help us refine our claim, which must be lodged at the High Court by Friday 13th January.

Work on our legal challenge, how it dovetails with the challenge by Friends of the Earth, and how potential costs can be covered continues.

The UK government has backed the arguments of the international fossil fuel industry, and we need to face up to their combined forces in court.  We are much stronger together than either charity would be on their own!

We must hope that the fantastic support from all our donors here, and some charitable funders who are expressing interest will carry us through.

Please keep an eye on this page and we will let you know when we need another big push for funds.

(The deadline on this funding page is now 7 February and can be extended further if need be.)

You may have been asked to sign petitions to Rishi Sunak to stop the Cumbria Coal Mine. 

The Labour Party may have promised to reverse the decision. 

But the ONLY way Michael Gove's consent for this damaging, "coal phase down busting" decision can be reversed is by a legal challenge known as a Statutory Review.

Tiny Charity South Lakes Action against Climate Change has employed a great legal team since 2019, and they know the best way to challenge and reverse this decision. 

So many business and political leaders, faith groups and scientists have spoke out against the mine, but SLACC needs MONEY to take this forward. 

Our Trustees need to "press the button" on this by the 5th January. They should not be in the position of risking their homes in the battle for rationality and a just climate transition.  

Please help us. Fossil Fuel extractors cannot be allowed to ignore the GHG from the use of their oil, gas or coal, on the spurious grounds that they "don't have control" over them. Or that "someone else would supply if they didn't". 

The UK Government appears to have backed these "arms dealers" defences, and the chimera of Carbon Capture and Storage to allow a Hong Kong based,  Australian coal magnate to develop a replacement for a Siberian coal project!  

Please donate to, and share this fundraiser, as widely and quickly as you can.  

OR email me and the SLACC team to discuss any direct charitable donation.

Today,  23rd December 2022, SLACC's legal team have sent a pre-action letter to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities. This is not a definite commitment to submit a legal challenge. Our Trustees will take that decision very early in the New Year. 

They will need to have enough funds available to take that decision, so please give generously if you can afford it, and share this appeal with your networks and friends. Be assured that, in the unlikely event that SLACC does not proceed, and any funds are unspent, they will be passed on to support another legal battle against climate change.   SLACC will not retain such funds for our general funds.