The Honourable Derrick Bragg, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

Consultation Opportunity:   ‘What We Heard’ during the on-line Environmental Assessment Legislation Review

The ‘What We Heard’ document is a summary of comments that were received during public consultations on the Environmental Assessment Legislation Review. You are invited to review the document on the engageNL web page and submit any additional comments to EAReview@gov.nl.ca by June 30, 2020.

 UNDERTAKINGS REGISTERED:

Gull Pond RV Park and Campground                                      (Reg. 2080)
Proponent: Tina Pede and Kenneth Pede

The proponent proposes to develop a 188-unit recreational vehicle and tenting park in the area of Gull Pond. The park will be located off Route 230 and 3.7 km south of the community of Morely’s Siding. The park will offer amenities such as electrical and internet services and water and sewage connections.

The undertaking was registered on May 21, 2020; the deadline for public comments is June 29, 2020; and the minister’s decision is due by July 5, 2020.

Gummy Pond ATV Trail                                                               (Reg. 2079)
Proponent: Green Bay Snowmobile Association

The proponent proposes to reroute an existing snowmobile trail to connect with neighbouring club trails (Exploits Trail Network) that will be constructed from Gummy Pond, along the western side of North Twin Lake to the existing trail on Twin Lakes Resource Road which connects to the T’Railway Provincial Park. This trail is being installed primarily as a snowmobile trail but will also be accessible by all-terrain vehicles during the off-season.

The undertaking was registered on May 20, 2020; the deadline for public comments is June 29, 2020; and the minister’s decision is due by July 3, 2020.

St. Catherine’s Cottage Lot Development                              (Reg. 2078)
Proponent: Jerome Power Contracting Ltd.

The proponent proposes to subdivide a 5.5 hectare parcel of private land located along the Salmonier River, Route 90, in St. Catherine’s and construct four cottage lots for resale. The project will include vegetation clearing, construction of a 200-metre long access road and gravel driveways for each cottage lot and installation of wells and septic systems. The four cottage lots will range between approximately 0.31 and 0.43 hectares in size and the remainder of the land will remain as private property.

The undertaking was registered on May 20, 2020; the deadline for public comments is June 29, 2020; and the minister’s decision is due by July 3, 2020.

UNDERTAKINGS RELEASED:

Upper Humber River Cottage                                                     (Reg. 2067)
Proponent: Mr. Dennis Parr 

The project was released subject to the following conditions:

• The proponent is required to uphold all commitments made in the environmental assessment submission to mitigate the effects of the project on the environment.
• The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources requires a minimum 30-metre undisturbed buffer along all waterbodies and wetlands that appear on a 1:50,000 topo map to protect sensitive riparian and aquatic species, and their habitat. For further information, contact Jonathan Sheppard at (709) 729-1140.
• No vegetation clearing is to occur within 800 metres of a bald eagle or osprey nest during the nesting season (March 15 to July 31) and 200 metres during the remainder of the year. The 200-metre buffer also applies to all other raptor nests (e.g. Northern Goshawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, Boreal Owl, and Northern Saw-whet Owl). The location of any raptor nest site must be reported to the Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources. For further information, please contact the Wildlife Division at (709) 637-2025.
• The proponent is required to advise the Environmental Assessment Division when the conditions of release have been met, by emailing a written description, documents, and images (where applicable) to demonstrate that the conditions have been fulfilled to EAProjectComments@gov.nl.ca.
• The proponent is required to update the Environmental Assessment Division on the status of the project, including a copy of all permits, licences, certificates, approvals and other authorizations required for the project, one year from the date of this release letter and to provide additional updates, if requested. Please email the project updates to EAProjectComments@gov.nl.ca.

South Brook Quarry                                                                      (Reg. 2073)
Proponent: Shoreline Aggregates Inc.

The project was released subject to the following conditions:

• The proponent is required to uphold all commitments made in the environmental assessment submission to mitigate the effects of the project on the environment.
• Due to the long timeframe for this quarry, and the potential for drainage into South Brook, Shoreline Aggregates Inc. shall enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment for the installation of a real time water monitoring station to monitor impacts on flow and water quality on South Brook from the quarry site. The Memorandum of Agreement should be signed and the station installed prior to the start of site operation activities. All costs will be borne by Shoreline Aggregates Inc..
• The registered site is located approximately one kilometre from the Anaconda mine site which currently has three dams associated with its tailings management area. Blasting from the quarry site may impact the geotechnical stability of these dams. The proponent is required to submit a report on the geotechnical impacts of quarry operations (e.g., seismic loading, ground acceleration or movement due to blasting) on these dams. The report will be reviewed by the Water Resources Management Division, shared with Anaconda Mining Inc., and submitted for my approval prior to construction.
• The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources requires a minimum 30-metre undisturbed buffer along all waterbodies and wetlands that appear on a 1:50,000 topo map to protect sensitive riparian and aquatic species, and their habitat. For further information, contact Jonathan Sheppard at (709) 729-1140.
• No vegetation clearing is to occur within 800 metres of a bald eagle or osprey nest during the nesting season (March 15 to July 31) and 200 metres during the remainder of the year. The 200-metre buffer also applies to all other raptor nests (e.g. Northern Goshawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, Boreal Owl, and Northern Saw-whet Owl). The location of any raptor nest site must be reported to the Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources. For further information, please contact the Wildlife Division at (709) 637-2025.
• The proponent is required to advise the Environmental Assessment Division when the conditions of release have been met, by emailing a written description, documents, and images (where applicable) to demonstrate that the conditions have been fulfilled to EAProjectComments@gov.nl.ca.
• The proponent is required to update the Environmental Assessment Division on the status of the project, including a copy of all permits, licences, certificates, approvals and other authorizations required for the project, one year from the date of this release letter and to provide additional updates, if requested. Please email  project updates to EAProjectComments@gov.nl.ca.

Learn more

Environmental Assessment Division – toll-free at 1-800-563-6181 or by mail:

Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment

West Block, Confederation Building

P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6

Public comments may be forwarded to: EAprojectcomments@gov.nl.ca

Environmental assessment information: http://www.mae.gov.nl.ca/env_assessment/

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @MAE_GovNL

Media contact:
Lynn Robinson
Municipal Affairs and Environment
709- 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca