‘Gap time’ common in assessments: MP
Sean Fraser discusses aspects of proposal from Northern Pulp
Central Nova MP Sean Fraser knows there is stress in his community over Northern Pulp’s plans for a new effluent treatment plant, but he urged people to be patient as the process follows the proper steps.
Fraser spoke to Pictou town council Monday and said he sees the stress and concern from the fisheries and forestry industry, but until a proposal is officially filed by Northern Pulp for the construction of a new effluent treatment plant, there is little that can be done from a regulations point of view.
“I sense the nerves of the people involved in our fisheries on a daily basis in particular,” he said. “It is going to feel like there is not a lot happening from the regulatory perspective for a little while but that is normal and I don’t want it to be a source of additional stress or panic that I know and see every day. Until the application is filed, there is not going to be additional review and that is an ordinary part of process. The fact there isn’t someone singing from rooftops that we have to review this or we are not going to review this, that is not something you should typically expect at this stage of the proceedings.”
Fraser said he has been involved in many environmental assessments in the past when he worked in western Canada as a lawyer and it is common for a “gap in time” while the proposal is being finalized by an industry.
“If I can leave a message as much for the public record as it is around the table, just because there is not an active decision being taken today, tomorrow or the next day, there is no cause for panic. It is a normal part of the process and a necessary part of the process,” he said.
Under provincial legislation, Northern Pulp has until 2020 to replace its current effluent treatment plant in Boat Harbour near Pictou – a deadline the company has said will be tight to meet.
The mill, across the Northumberland Strait from eastern Prince Edward Island, announced plans for a new treatment plant in December and is to submit an environmental assessment to Nova Scotia’s Environment Department sometime in July.
According to the company’s plan, waste would be treated at a new facility near the mill using a system that would meet all federal environmental standards for suspended solids and oxygen depletion. The effluent would be carried by polyethylene pipe across Pictou Harbour and released through six dispersal pipes into the strait.
The Town of Pictou sent a letter asking the federal and provincial governments that an environmental assessment report be completed and the fisheries in the Northumberland Strait not be put at risk.
Fraser did offer some advice to those concerned about environmental assessment process.
“The last thing I want to put at risk is the environment and fisheries, but the flip side of the argument is that there are a lot of jobs as well. In my mind, when assessing projects at this scope, you have to decide what environmental projections you are going to insist upon as a jurisdiction and you have to have clarity in the process to assist projects,” he said. “If you don’t comply with rules your community insists on through its laws then you shouldn’t approve the project, but you shouldn’t prevent an industry from having a little bit of clarity as to how they go about applying for a project for fear of driving investment away from your community.”
Fraser said after Northern Pulp files its proposal, the federal ministers of fisheries and environment will each review it. The fisheries minister will ensure the placement of the effluent pipe will not have an impact on fisheries and the environment minister is responsible for making sure the fisheries regulations are complied with.
“The regulations from the fisheries act specifically authorize the discharge of effluent from pulp and paper mills into federal waters if they meet a prescribed standard set out in the regulations. That standard is very complicated but essentially he wants to make sure the concentration in what is being discharged and chemical demands it puts on the water it is being discharged into is at a level low enough you are able to do it,” Fraser said.
The minister will grant the approval if the concentration is below the allowed threshold, he said.
The last thing I want to put at risk is the environment and fisheries, but the flip side of the argument is that there are a lot of jobs as well. Sean Fraser
However, issues such as water depth, currents and spawning grounds will be addressed in the province’s environmental assessment process.
“If there is a permit issued for anything to be built in the Northumberland Strait, there would be an obligation to monitor it on a going-forward basis and anything discharged into it to make sure it complies with the federal regulations that exist at the time,” Fraser added. “This is important because there is a review going on as to the appropriate threshold that formula includes that could potentially place a stricter obligation on the industrial component that discharges something into federal waters. If it passes the test today and the test changes, they will have to pass the new test and the federal government will be responsible to enforce compliance with that new standard from a go-forward basis.”
Fraser said he is aware the associations representing fishermen in the three Maritime provinces, as well as Pictou Landing First Nations, have filed intent to request a federal assessment after the proposal is filed.
Getting the minister to designate a project for a federal assessment is not a matter of just asking for it, but rather certain criteria has to be met, he said.
There is another option to request an assessment be done by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, a non-partisan organization that has the ear of the minister.
Fraser said the Environmental Assessment Agency will look at many factors including public concern, regulation thresholds and whether another jurisdiction has the project already. It will collect its own information and make a recommendation to the federal minister of environment as to whether an assessment should or shouldn’t take place.
“Typically speaking, if I can be frank, this kind of project doesn’t attract federal scrutiny under the current regulations,” he said. “It does not seemingly meet the ordinary standards of a project that would be designated.”
He said having the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency say this needs to be done and the minister accepting that recommendation would be the best hope for getting a federal assessment done.