RWE and state of North Rhine-Westphalia reject court settlement on lignite mining

German utility RWE and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have rejected a court settlement offer that would have allowed the company to continue producing lignite in its largest open pit mine on the proviso that it refrained from carrying out clearing work in Hambach Forest and exploited the surrounding areas first, reports Benedikt Müller for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The administrative court in Cologne had argued that Germany would phase out coal “at some point” anyway, which might save the forest. RWE rejected this proposal, arguing that it would not work out with its set-up of conveyor belts and excavators, writes Müller. Environmental NGO Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) had brought legal action to save the wildlife in the region. The court is scheduled to announce its decision on 24 November.

Read the article in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheets Coal in Germany and When will Germany finally ditch coal?