Environmental Assessment Bulletin

  • Environment and Climate Change

October 28, 2022

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:

Victoria Abattoir                                                                                         (Reg. 2222)
Proponent: Omiachi Farm

The proponent proposes to construct an abattoir on a cattle farm in Victoria, Conception Bay. The abattoir will be for slaughtering cattle from the farm with secondary processing at the existing meat shop located at 43 Swansea Road. A description of the project can be found on the department’s webpage at: www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/env-assessment/projects-list/.

The undertaking was registered on October 28, 2022; the deadline for public comments is December 2, 2022; and the minister’s decision is due by December 12, 2022.

UNDERTAKINGS RELEASED:

Crown District 19 Five-Year Forestry Operating Plan (2023-2027) (Reg. 2208)
Proponent: Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

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 Climate Change Branch of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires that a Greenhouse Gas Management Plan must be prepared and submitted to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change for approval. A draft of this plan must be submitted within one year of the date of the Minister’s decision letter with an update on the progress of this plan to be submitted in 6 months. The plan is expected to include:
    • Any carbon modeling that has been or will be used to inform forest management planning;
    • Projections on the level of greenhouse gas emissions that are anticipated to be captured and/or released over the five year period; and
    • A description of how forest management will be informed by carbon modelling with regard to climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.
  • The Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires the following:
    • A 30-metre buffer is to be maintained around infrastructure for hydrometric monitoring stations and no Project work is to occur within 100 metres of domestic wells; and
    • Forestry operations in the Churchill River flood watershed, Otter Creek flood watershed, and other local creek flood watersheds in the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay have the potential to release sediment and turbid water into the waterbody. The vulnerable areas and preventative measures must be identified to avoid releasing sediment and turbid water into the waterbody, and this information must be submitted to the Water Resources Management Division for review and approval prior to the start of forestry operations.
  • The Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the proponent to follow the 2021 Environmental Protection Guidelines.
  • The Land Management Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture must be consulted as follows:
    • prior to conducting any silviculture activities next to existing agriculture properties, within agricultural development areas (ADAs) and within agricultural areas of interest (AOIs);
    • to determine if there are any land use conflicts with ADAs, AOIs and home gardening areas within the Forest Management District;
    • to determine if there are any land use conflicts with cottage planning areas and cottage development areas; and
    • prior to the decommissioning of all roads constructed within the operating plan.
  • The Land Management Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture also directs that:
    • existing agriculture operations must not be impacted by the Project;
    • the Project must not encroach on existing land titles where proposed timber harvest areas fall within community infilling limits; and
    • the Project must not encroach on Crown Land Reserves where proposed timber harvest areas overlap these Reserves.
  • In response to the commitment to address public concerns related to the alignment of a Project Boundary with a fire break, and a lack of domestic harvesting opportunities, the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires the following:
    • the proponent is to adjust the boundary of the ‘No Cut’ area in Operating Area CC19515-NWRN1 to align with the current fire break within the Town of North West River, effective for the 2023-2027 plan;
    • the proponent is to undertake the necessary mapping and consultation work to explore options that may permit domestic harvest across a wider geographical area of District 19. Consultation should occur in 2023 with the goal of implementing any domestic harvesting boundary changes on January 1, 2024; and
    • the proponent is to examine past silviculture treatment data for the Johnson’s Road area to assess the available hardwood supply outside silviculturally treated areas and the ‘No Cut’ areas for potential opportunities for harvest.
  • 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.

Crown Zone 8 Five Year Forestry Operating Plan (2023-2027)     (Reg. 2210)
Proponent: Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

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 Climate Change Branch of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires that a Greenhouse Gas Management Plan must be prepared and submitted to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change for approval. A draft of this plan must be submitted within one year of the date of the Minister’s decision letter with an update on the progress of this plan to be submitted in six months. The plan is expected to include:
    • Any carbon modeling that has been or will be used to inform forest management planning;
    • Projections on the level of greenhouse gas emissions that are anticipated to be captured and/or released over the five-year period; and
    • A description of how forest management will be informed by carbon modelling with regard to climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.
  • The Water Resources Management Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change requires the following:
    • A 30-metre buffer must be maintained around the hydrometric station # 02YD002 located at Northeast Brook near Roddickton and no Project work is to occur within 100-metres of domestic wells.
    • Forestry operations in the Parsons Pond River flood watershed have the potential to release sediment and turbid water into the waterbody. The vulnerable areas and preventative measures must be identified to avoid releasing sediment and turbid water into the waterbody, and this information must be submitted to the Water Resources Management Division for review and approval prior to the start of forestry operations.
  • The Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires that the proponent follow the 2021 Environmental Protection Guidelines.
  • The Land Management Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture must be consulted as follows:
    • prior to conducting any silviculture activities next to existing agriculture properties, within agricultural development areas (ADAs) and within agricultural areas of interest (AOIs);
    • to determine if there are any land use conflicts with ADAs, AOIs and home gardening areas within the Forest Management District;
    • to determine if there are any land use conflicts with cottage planning areas and cottage development areas; and
    • prior to the decommissioning of roads constructed within the operating plan.
  • The Land Management Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture also directs that:
    • existing agriculture operations must not be impacted by the Project;
    • the Project must not encroach on existing land titles where proposed timber harvest areas fall within community infilling limits; and
    • the Project must not encroach on Crown Land Reserves where proposed timber harvest areas overlap these Reserves.
  • The Provincial Archeological Office of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation requires a 50-metre buffer, where no ground disturbing activity is permitted around Ethnographic site “12P/02/03 Ethno 1.”
  • 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.

Sexton’s Road Snowmobile Trail Re-Route                                       (Reg. 2213)
Proponent: Newfoundland and Labrador Snowmobile Association

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 Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the following:
    • Where possible, for slopes less than 30 percent, the proponent must maintain a minimum 30-metre undisturbed riparian buffer zone 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. Land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities must not take place in this zone.
    • For slopes greater than 30 percent, the proponent must maintain an undisturbed riparian buffer zone calculated using the following formula: 30 metres + 1.5 metres x slope (%). Land use activities involving grubbing, ground or soil disturbance, or timber harvesting activities must not 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 must be reported to the Wildlife Division.
    • The proposed undertaking occurs in a silviculturally treated, commercial forest area and forestry activities must not be restricted in any way. Forestry activities include but are not limited to forest access road construction, maintenance and decommissioning of forest access roads, timber harvesting, silviculture treatment, forest protection, forest management research and monitoring, conservation and other activities carried out in accordance with sustainable forest management practices. Silviculturally treated land must not be disturbed in any way during the construction or use of this trail.
  • 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

2022 10 28 4:25 pm