Victorian environmental campaigners are launching landmark legal action against the state's Environment Protection Authority and three coal power stations over claims they failed to limit climate pollution.
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Led by conservation group Environment Victoria, the Supreme Court case will be the first to test Victoria's Climate Change Act, which was introduced in 2017.
It will also be the first challenge to the regulation of air pollution from the state's coal-burning power stations.
Environment Victoria will allege the EPA "failed to protect the health of the community and the environment" by not taking any action against three coal power stations while reviewing their licences in March this year.
"The Andrews government passed nation-leading climate change legislation in 2017, but Victoria's environment watchdog chose to ignore it when making a crucial decision about coal power station licences this year," EV chief executive Jono La Nauze said.
"The EPA took more than 1200 days to review the licences of three coal power stations and then failed to take any action on the greenhouse gases they emit.
"Our case will argue that they failed to properly consider key sections of the Climate Change Act and the Environment Protection Act."
AAP contacted the EPA for a response, however it declined to comment due to the upcoming court case.
Australian Associated Press
