U.S. Supreme Court takes up dispute over power plant in India
Source: Reuters
ENVIRONMENT MAY 21, 2018 / 9:48 AM / UPDATED 15 HOURS AGO
U.S. Supreme Court takes up dispute over power plant in India
Lawrence Hurley
2 MIN READ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider reviving a lawsuit by Indian villagers seeking to hold a Washington-based international financial institution responsible for widespread environmental damage they blame on a power plant it financed.
The justices will hear an appeal by the villagers of a lower court ruling that the International Finance Corp was immune from such lawsuits under federal law. IFC, part of the World Bank Group, is an international institution with 184 member countries that helps secure financing for projects in developing nations.
The case revolves around the IFC’s decision in 2008 to provide $450 million in loans to help construct the coal-fired Tata Mundra Power Plant in Gujarat, India. IFC loans include provisions requiring that certain environmental standards are met.
The legal question before the justices is whether there are limits to immunity for entities like the IFC under the 1945 International Organizations Immunity Act, as there are for foreign countries under a 1976 law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-india/u-s-supreme-court-takes-up-dispute-over-power-plant-in-india-idUSKCN1IM1EB
