Top court delays review on oil shale standards

High Court combines petition by Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) with another for December hearing.

By SHARON UDASIN
Meged oil drilling 370 (photo credit: Courtesy SPNI)
Meged oil drilling 370
(photo credit: Courtesy SPNI)
The High Court on Monday postponed hearing a petition by Adam Teva V’Din (Israel Union for Environmental Defense) on oil shale standards and elected to combine it with a second petition from the advocacy group for review at a December hearing.
The first petition, filed two years ago, protests the fact that no legal framework of standards exists for exploratory oil and gas drilling, with a particular focus on the oil shale industry, Keren Halperin- Museri, an attorney for Adam Teva V’Din, told The Jerusalem Post. After the government initiated such a framework this April, she explained, the group filed a second petition arguing that the new standards provided shortcuts to bypass certain planning and building procedures.
“We say when you search for oil you have to go through the regular procedures because they may have health and environmental impacts and go through sensitive areas,” she said.
The two petitions will now be reviewed jointly during a hearing on December 6.
The CEO of Israel Energy Initiatives, the company performing the oil shale exploration project, said the company had no comment on the matter at this time.