MUCH to the dismay of environmentalists in the UK, British Nuclear Fuels has been given a go-ahead for its Thorp plant by the High Court. The decision marks the end of a long battle between the British government and two organisations -- Greenpeace and the Lancashire County Council.
The organisations had challenged the government's its December 1993 decision to approve the plant's start-up (Down To Earth, January 31, 1994). They had argued that the risks of allowing Thorp to go ahead outweighed any employment gains. Although their arguments did not cut much ice in the High Court, Whitehall officials concede that Greenpeace's threat of legal action last summer prompted a second public consultation into the plant, delaying the start-up by several months.
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