Bennett Environmental Inc. Oppose The Belledune Appeal

Business Wire, Sept 29, 2004

OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Mr. Allan Bulckaert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bennett Environmental Inc. (AMEX:BEL)(TSX:BEV) announced today that Bennett will oppose the Appeal launched yesterday by the Federal Minister of the Environment, the Hon. Stephane Dion, concerning the Company's thermal oxidizer plant in Belledune, New Brunswick.

In his press release titled "Government Seeks to Clarify Court Ruling" the Minister justified his decision to appeal as a necessary step "to safeguard the integrity of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act". Instead, the Notice of Appeal filed by the Department of Justice focuses on seeking dismissal of the recent decision by Justice Harrington to quash the panel review. The appeal document does not mention Minister Dion's desire for clarification of the Act.

In addition, the Backgrounder document by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency released along with the Minister's News Release is also misleading in stating that "No environmental assessment of the potential transboundary environmental effects on this project has occurred". This leaves the mistaken impression that no environmental review of the project has been undertaken when in fact it has.

"We have argued all along that the former Minister of the Environment, the Hon. David Anderson, should not have called for a panel review of this project after the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) found no issues with our thermal oxidizer plant in Belledune after it reviewed the results of an exhaustive seven month environmental study " said Al Bulckaert. "It's the Minister's own Agency that came to the conclusion that there is no adverse transboundary impact."

Bennett Environmental is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (Trading Symbol "BEV") and the American Stock Exchange (Trading Symbol "BEL").