The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

UNDERTAKINGS RELEASED:

CBPP Zone 3 Five-Year Forestry Operating Plan (2022-2026)      (Reg. 2146)
Proponent: Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited

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 my Department requires that a Greenhouse Gas Management Plan must be prepared and submitted to the Climate Change Branch for approval by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. A draft of the plan must be submitted within one year of the date of this decision letter with an update on the progress of the plan to be submitted in six months. The plan is 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 commercial harvest block and associated road at Southwest Gander K-06-07 has been nominated as a potential protected area by members of the public. The proponent is required to engage with stakeholders, who submitted concerns about harvesting in this area during the environmental assessment consultation period, and they are to submit a Stakeholder Engagement Report for the approval of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change prior to commencing any commercial forestry activity or road work in this cut block.
• The Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the following:
  • The proponent must work with the Wildlife Division for final sign off on the operating areas below. Annual operating plans shall be submitted to the Wildlife Division for final approval before any activities take place. Planning of forestry activities shall consider the following:

FMD 5:

• A minimum 75-metre undisturbed buffer is required along the Gander Lake – Main River channel (e.g. Operating Areas 3 and 21);
• A minimum 30-metre undisturbed buffer is required around Whitman’s Pond, Jonathan’s Park Pond, Big Jonathan’s Pond, Lower Jonathan’s Pond and all the waters running in and out of these ponds to protect the function of riparian zones such as adult spawning and juvenile rearing areas for salmonid species.

FMD 6:

• No harvesting is to occur within overlapping primary core calving areas in Operating Area 4, and no seasonal harvesting activities are to be implemented for any overlapping secondary core calving areas in Operating Area 4 from April 15 to July 15.
• The Department of Industry, Energy and Technology requires that the proponent’s annual silviculture plans submitted to the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture for approval must also be forwarded to the Mines Branch for review to check for overlaps with areas covered by quarry permits (or leases), anticipated areas of quarry expansion, and areas of recognized aggregate resource potential
• The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation (TCAR) requires the following:
  • The proponent is to coordinate forest management efforts with outfitters during the big game season from September 15 – December 31 and during spring bear harvest which occurs from May 1 – July 15.
• The proponent is to submit a Tourism Stakeholder Consultation Plan (Consultation Plan) that will report on consultations with tourism stakeholders. The Consultation Plan will identify the potential impacts of forestry operations on each tourism stakeholder and describe how harvesting, road construction and silviculture activities will be modified to minimize impacts to tourism stakeholder values, which include but are not limited to, wildlife populations and hunting success rates, pristine and remote wilderness settings, and increased access by local residents. Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation has provided a list of Outfitters in the attached document entitled “Comments for the proponent,” whom the proponent must include in their consultations. The Consultation Plan must be approved by Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation prior to conducting forestry operations.
• The proponent shall implement measures that preserve the visitor experience and viewscapes along the TCH. Cut blocks along the TCH should be developed using landscape design techniques that mitigate visibility to the motoring public. The proponent is advised to continue to consult directly with the Manager of Tourism Product Development regarding efforts to minimize the visibility of clear cuts from the TCH.

• The proponent is to uphold the commitments made in the annual operating plans and the environmental assessment registration document with respect to reforestation.
• 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 requested.

Port Kirwan Sheep Abattoir                                                                    (Reg. 2165)
Proponent: Aylward’s Farm

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 proponent is required to prepare a Waste Management Plan that covers all solid and liquid wastes generated by the proposed facility and submit it for approval by the Pollution Prevention Division of my Department prior to the facility going into operation. The plan must also include information on vector and odor controls.
• 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 requested.

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: https://pattern-loop.live/ecc/env-assessment/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E

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Media contact
Lynn Robinson
Environment and Climate Change
709-729-5449; 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca