OTTAWA, Sept. 13, 2018 /CNW/ – The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency), along with the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB), Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Natural Resources for Newfoundland and Labrador, have developed a draft Agreement for a Regional Assessment of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploratory Drilling East of Newfoundland and Labrador, in the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Area.
This is the first regional assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. The Regional Assessment will improve the efficiency of the environmental assessment process as it applies to oil and gas exploration drilling while at the same time ensuring the highest standards of environmental protection continue to be applied and maintained.
The Agency and the C-NLOPB invite the public and Indigenous groups to comment on the draft Agreement to Conduct a Regional Assessment. The draft Agreement includes the procedures and timelines for the process, the factors to be considered in the assessment, as well as the Terms of Reference.
All comments received will be considered public and will be posted to the Agency’s website. Written comments in either official language must be submitted by October 12, 2018 to ceaa.nloffshorestudy-etudeextracotieretnl.acee@canada.ca.
Following the comment period on the draft Agreement, the final Agreement will be made public.
As a next step, the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, in consultation with the federal Minister of Natural Resources and the provincial Minister of Natural Resources for Newfoundland and Labrador, is expected to appoint a Committee to undertake the Regional Assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012.