Tesla ordered to stop work on German plant over tree clearing

A German court has ordered Tesla to temporarily halt plans for its Brandenburg factory over environmental concerns around tree-clearing.

The higher administrative court of Berlin and Brandenburg ordered the automaker to pause the clearing while it considers an appeal from the environmentalist group Green League Brandenburg, CNBC reported.

The company does not yet have planning permission to build the new factory, but it has previously received permission from the state environmental agency to clear 92 hectares of forest.

Brandenburg Economy Minister Jöerg Steinbach said the court gave Tesla and local officials until midday Tuesday to respond to the ruling.

Das #OVG hat dem #LfU (Landesumweltamt) und #Tesla Gelegenheit gegeben, bis Dienstagmittag Stellung zu nehmen. Das wird selbstverständlich gemacht. Wir setzen dann auf zeitnahe Entscheidung des #OVG@Tesla_DE @Gf4Tesla

— Jörg Steinbach (@joergstb) February 16, 2020

The company has sought to reassure environmentalists on the environmental impact of the clearance, referring CNBC to a website noting its commitment to “replant an area three times the factory plot, with mixed trees native to their habitat and the potential to become an old growth forest.”