The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has announced the following relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.
Undertaking REGISTERED:
Blaketown to Clarkes Pond 55L Transmission Line Rebuild (Reg. 2221)
Proponent: Newfoundland Power Inc.
The proponent is proposing to rebuild transmission line 55L which extends 54.3 kilometres between Blaketown and Clarkes Pond on the Avalon Peninsula. The proposed work would include the reconstruction of several sections of the line where continued maintenance is no longer feasible. The work would be completed in two phases between 2022 and 2024. A description of the project can be found on the Department’s web page at www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/env-assessment/projects-list/.
The undertaking was registered on October 20, 2022; the deadline for public comments is November 25, 2022; and the minister’s decision is due by December 04, 2022.
Environmental Preview Report Guidelines Issued:
Deer Lake Secondary Dairy Processing Facility (Reg. 2203)
Proponent: Real Dairy Company of Newfoundland Ltd.
The minister has approved the final guidelines for the preparation of the environmental preview report (EPR) for the Deer Lake Secondary Dairy Processing Facility. The EPR guidelines identify the information that the proponent will be required to include in the EPR. The EPR guidelines document is available on the Department of Environment and Climate Change website www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/projects/project-2203/.
UndertakingS Released:
Appleton Mineral Exploration – Seismic Survey and Trenching (Reg. 2214)
Proponent: New Found Gold Corp.
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 Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires the following;
- Total area cut for the development of the cut lines cannot exceed 5% of the sub-watershed area within the Protected Public Water Supply Area (PPWSA).
- Access created in the PPWSA as a part of this project that can be travelled by motor vehicles (excluding ATVs and snowmobiles) must be decommissioned following the completion of the project.
- 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.
Springdale Junction Agriculture Development (Reg. 2215)
Proponent: Michael Warren
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 Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the following:
- The proponent must maintain a minimum 50-metre undisturbed riparian buffer zone from the high water mark of all wetlands and waterbodies 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, and are either within or adjacent to the proposed land.
- 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 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.
- 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
Debbie Marnell
Environment and Climate Change
709-729-2575, 699-9048
DebbieMarnell@gov.nl.ca