An Alaska judge has dismissed a challenge from young activists who say a proposed project to ship liquefied natural gas from the North Slope to Asian markets would harm their right to a clean environment.
The Tuesday decision from Alaska Superior Court Judge Dani Crosby comes as the Trump administration has championed the fossil fuel megaproject at the heart of the case. The youth challengers have vowed to appeal Crosby’s finding that stopping the Alaska LNG project is a job for state legislators — not the courts.
“Precedent dictates this case must be dismissed on both the political question doctrine and prudential grounds,” Crosby wrote. “Important questions regarding climate change mitigation do not present justifiable questions because the Court lacks both the authority and the tools to reweigh the competing economic, environmental, social or conservation goals.”
The judge noted that the state Legislature had found that the project was in the best interest of Alaskans. While the young challengers may be frustrated with that choice, Crosby wrote, “they may not utilize the courts to undercut” state lawmakers.
