Environmental Assessments at the CNSC

Environmental assessments are carried out under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. They identify whether a specific project is likely to cause significant environmental effects. Environmental assessments are carried out when any of the following conditions apply to a proposed project:

• federal, provincial or territorial government approval is needed;
• federal land is needed; or
• federal funding is needed.

For more information on the environmental assessment process, please refer to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency's web site at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca. You may also consult the Fact Sheet on the Environmental Assessment Process at the CNSC.

For more information on changes to align Canada's Environmental Assessment Regulations with its Nuclear Legislation, click here.

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission - Guidelines for Environmental Assessment pursuant to the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (PDF)

Draft Template, EA Guidelines (Scope of Project and Assessment), Environmental Assessment of a Project Proposal (January 2004) (PDF)

Amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act was amended on October 30, 2003.  To view the news release, click here.

The result of one of the amendments is the replacement of the Federal Environmental Assessment Index (FEAI) with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry (CEAR), a web-based registry showing information about all ongoing environmental assessments, and listing documents relevant to those assessments.  The objectives of the new CEAR are improved public accessibility of EA information; and the provision of timely notice to the public of the commencement of EAs, and of the opportunities for public participation.