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The Minister of the Environment Refers the Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal Project at Gros-Cacouna to a Public Review Panel
OTTAWA, August 19, 2005 – The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, announced today that the environmental assessment of the Cacouna Energy project will be subject to a public review panel. The project proponents, TransCanada PipeLines Limited and Petro-Canada, propose to build and to operate a liquefied natural gas terminal at Gros-Cacouna harbour, along the St. Lawrence estuary, east of Rivière-du-Loup. The project is subject to the federal environmental assessment process pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The Minister's decision is based on the report and recommendation submitted by the responsible authorities, Transport Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, concerning the determination of the environmental assessment process for the project. This report was issued following a public consultation held on the document entitled Report on the Environmental Assessment Track and on the Scope of the Environmental Assessment – Cacouna Energy Project.
"I am referring the project to an assessment by a review panel following the recommendation by the responsible authorities," stated Minister Dion. "The Cacouna Energy project will be assessed within the framework of the Canada-Quebec Agreement on Environmental Assessment Cooperation."
The project, at an estimated cost of more than a half billion dollars, involves: the delivery of liquefied natural gas, in addition to several facilities, two of which are storage tanks; pumping and vaporization equipment; a unit to add nitrogen to the natural gas; offices, access roads, as well as maintenance and security buildings. A wharf for berthing and unloading of LNG carriers would extend approximately 350 metres into the St. Lawrence from the terminal site.
Draft federal directives, which will guide the preparation of the impact statement, will soon be made public in order to obtain comments from the public. The federal guidelines will then be finalized and sent to the proponents so that they can complete their environmental impact statement.
Participant funding will be made available to the public to promote active participation in the public review. Funding availability will be announced shortly.
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The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the federal environmental assessment process, which identifies the environmental effects of proposed projects and measures to address those effects, in support of sustainable development.
For more information on this project and others in your area, please consult the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry, reference number 04-03-7440.
Media may contact:
Robert Deslauriers
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor
Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3
Tel.: (613) 957-0396
Fax: (613) 957-0946
robert.deslauriers@ceaa-acee.gc.ca
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