Construction of a controversial dam in Belize will continue after Britain’s Privy Council last month refused a request from environmentalists for an injunction until the final ruling is made. The London-based council, which serves as a court of appeals for Belize and other Commonwealth countries, will hear the case in December. Conservationists in Belize came before the council to request judicial review of the Belizean government’s approval of the Chalillo dam project’s environmental-impact assessment (EIA), which they claim is replete with procedural flaws. They cite the omission from the impact assessment of key sections of an independent scientific study on the dam’s potential effects on wildlife. They also charge the public hearing on the impact assessment was held following the document’s approval. Project... [Log in to read more]