The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

UNDERTAKING REGISTERED:

Grand Falls-Windsor to Glenwood Transmission Line Decommissioning
Proponent: Newfoundland Power Inc.                         (Reg. 2192)

The proponent is proposing to decommission a 70-kilometre section of the 101L and 102L transmission lines between the Towns of Grand Falls-Windsor and Glenwood.

These two sections of the transmission line are no longer required as the grid system has been reconfigured. Project activities include the dismantling, removal, and disposal of sections of each line between 32 kilometres to 38 kilometres in length. A description of the project can be found on the Department’s web page at https://www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/env-assessment/projects-list/.

The undertaking was registered on March 24, 2022; the deadline for public comment is April 28, 2022; and, the minister’s decision is due by May 8, 2022.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT SUBMITTED:

Cavendish Beef Farm                                                       (Reg. 2002)
Proponent: Viking Fur Inc.

The proponent is proposing to establish a beef cattle industry near Cavendish, Trinity Bay. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change is seeking public comments on the environmental impact statement (EIS), a document that describes the project and provides an overview of the potential environmental effects of all phases of the project. To facilitate public participation, the EIS is available on the Department of Environment and Climate Change website at: www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/projects/project-2002/.

Written comments must be received by May 13, 2022 and may be emailed to EAprojectcomments@gov.nl.ca, or mailed to:

Eric Watton, M.Sc.
Project EA Committee Chair
Environmental Assessment Division
Department of Environment and Climate Change
P.O. Box 8700

St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6

UNDERTAKINGS RELEASED:

Terra Nova Quarry                                                             (Reg. 2182)
Proponent: Mac-Court Holdings 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.
• A Water Resources Management Plan must be submitted to the Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change for approval, prior to commencing any work related to this project. The Water Resources Management Plan should describe any potential of onsite drainage water or dewatering water to discharge into a natural water body, and what precautionary measures, such as vegetative cover, filter strip, silt curtain, etc., are to be deployed to ensure the effluent or runoff meets the requirement of the Environmental Control Water and Sewage Regulations, 2003.
• The Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires that the quarry shall maintain a minimum 30-metre reservation from all waterbodies (including wetlands) that appear on the 1:50,000 scale National Topographical System maps or the topographic mapping layer shown in the Provincial Land Use Atlas.
• The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the following:
  • There is to be no vegetation clearing (removal of trees) during the critical nesting and brood rearing period that runs from April 15 to August 15.
  • Any vegetation clearing is to occur outside 800 metres of bald eagle or osprey nests during the nesting season (March 15 to July 31) and 200 metres during the remainder of the year. The 200m buffer also applies to all other raptor nests (e.g. Northern Goshawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, Boreal Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl). The location of any raptor nest sites must be reported to the Wildlife Division. Marten or Olive-sided flycatcher (or any species at risk) sightings should also be reported to the Wildlife Division (endenageredpsecies@gov.nl.ca).

• 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) demonstrating that the conditions have been fulfilled.
• 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 the release letter and to provide additional updates if requested.

Hickey’s Pond Access Road                                          (Reg. 2185)
Proponent: Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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
• The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the following:
  • For slopes less than 30 percent, a minimum 30-metre undisturbed riparian buffer zone shall be established around all waterbodies, from the high water mark, that are identified on either the 1:50,000 scale National Topographic System maps or the topographic mapping layer shown in the Provincial Land Use Atlas. No land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities will take place in this
  • For slopes greater than 30 percent, there shall be a minimum undisturbed riparian buffer zone calculated using the following formula: 30 metres + 5 metres x slope (percent). No land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities will take place in this zone.
• • 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, Northern Saw-whet Owl). The location of any raptor nest sites shall be reported to the Wildlife Division.
• 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.
• 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 required.

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Learn more
Environmental Assessment Division
Department of Environment and Climate Change
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 is available at:

www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/env-assessment/

Guide to the environmental assessment processFollow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @ECC_GovNL

If you submit comments on a project that is under environmental assessment, please advise the Department if you DO NOT wish to share your comments with the project proponent.

Media contact
Lynn Robinson
Environment and Climate Change
709-729-5449; 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca