The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announces the following relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act:

UNDERTAKING REGISTERED:
Baie Verte Stog’er Tight Expansion – 278 Open Pit Mine               (Reg. 2216)
Proponent: Signal Gold Inc.

The proponent is proposing to expand its current gold mining operations at the Stog’er Tight Deposit, located within the municipal planning area of Baie Verte. The expansion would require the construction and operation of an open pit mine, Pit 278, and would include the de-watering of Camp Pond and installation of an 850-metre haul road. Operations would utilize existing infrastructure, including the proponent’s existing Pine Cove ore mill, located 3 kilometres west of the deposit. The expected life of the mine is 6.5 months. A description of the project can be found on the department’s webpage at: www.gov.nl.ca/eccm/env-assessment/projects-list/.

The undertaking was registered on September 2, 2022; the deadline for public comments is October 7, 2022; and the minister’s decision is due by October 17, 2022.

UNDERTAKING RELEASED:
Blaketown to Riverhead 94L Transmission Line Rebuild              (Reg. 2184)
Proponent: Newfoundland Power Inc.

The project is 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 Natural Areas Program of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires the following:
  • Prior to construction of the new line and/or dismantling of the old line, a rare lichen survey must be completed in appropriate habitats by a qualified botanist, and mitigation measures be employed if any thalli are found (eg. translocations). The Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture should be consulted on survey methodology and mitigations prior to conducting surveys. The lichen survey and mitigations should also be part of the project-specific Environmental Protection Plan that will be implemented prior to construction, as noted by the proponent.
• The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture (FFA) requires the following:
  • Where possible, 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 shall take place in this zone.
  • For slopes greater than 30 percent, there shall be an undisturbed riparian buffer zone calculated using the following formula: 30 metres + 1.5 metres x slope (%). No land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities shall take place in this zone.
  • The new transmission line section west of Markland, between Route 81 and Route 100 (Argentia Access Road), is in an area identified as a significant wetland (Nine Island Pond, Soldier Pond, Simmons Pond, and Goosey Gullies, Markland, south of Whitbourne).
    • Where possible, for slopes less than 30 percent, a minimum 30-metre undisturbed riparian buffer zone shall be established around the wetland. No land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities will take place in this zone.
    • For slopes greater than 30 per cent, there shall be an undisturbed buffer zone calculated using the following formula: 30 metres + 1.5 metres x slope (%) (see Annex C). No land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities shall take place in this zone.
    • Any work required along the new section of transmission line must be done outside the brood rearing, breeding and staging period for waterfowl (approximately May 15 to July 31).
• 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 site must 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 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 required.

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/

www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/files/GUIDE-TO-THE-PROCESS_May-2022.pdf

Follow 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