Israeli Court Halts Leviathan Start
A district court in Jerusalem, Israel, has ordered Noble Energy, the operator of Leviathan natural gas project, to stop the start up of gas production in the gas field. In a temporary injunction the court has banned gaseous emissions from the rig. The decision cancels or at least freezes the emissions permit given to the partnership by the environment ministry just as the field was preparing to start operations.
The motion was filed by six local authorities along the coast. The motion claimed that the emission permission given to Leviathan, 10 km offshore, is unlawful. According to the applicants' claims, for two operating periods of eight hours each, during the run-up to production, the rig will discharge into the air toxic materials, including the highly toxic chemical benzene. This process will endanger the health of residents along the coast. They have been battling against the gas rig for a long time but this is their first legal success.
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The court is expected to hold a full legal hearing December 22, although the partnership might ask for it to happen sooner.