Peace River Regional District REPORT

Transcription

1 Peace River Regional District REPORT A-2 To: From: Chair and Directors Bruce Simard, GM of Development Services Date: September 23, 2015 Subject: Invitation to Working Group for Environmental Assessment of Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. s (Plateau) Northeast British Columbia Expansion Project (NEBC) RECOMMENDATION: THAT the Directors for Electoral Area B and Electoral Area C be appointed from the Board to the Environmental Assessment Working Group for the Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. s (Plateau) Northeast British Columbia Expansion Project (NEBC). BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Attached is an invitation to participate on the Working Group for the Environmental Assessment of the Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. s (Plateau) Northeast British Columbia Expansion Project (NEBC), located north of Fort St John. (see location maps attached) An extension for response after Oct 7 has already been obtained The project description is on file and available upon request. In the spring of 2015, the Board was previously requested for comment regarding an application to waive the requirement for an EA. On March 24, 2015 the Board appointed Directors Goodings and Sperling to an advisory working group for the application to waive the EA. The Board also formally objected to waiving the EA. In a letter to the EA Office dated August 26, 2015, Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. requested that the application to waive the requirement for an EA be rescinded, and requested an order for a reviewable project be made. On August 31, 2015, the EA Office issued an order requiring an environmental assessment for the project. It is now necessary to appoint members to a working group for the EA application. (which is a different process than for an application to waive an EA) Bailey Chabot, North Peace Land Use Planner will be assigned from staff. Staff Initials: Dept. Head: CAO:

2 Bruce Simard A-2 From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Attachments: Noble, Heather EAO:EX Monday, September 21, :46 PM Bruce Simard; Toledo, Ricardo M EAO:EX; Ferbey, Stasia EAO:EX Northeast British Columbia Expansion Project near Taylor BC FINAL_Working Group Terms of Reference_Dec2013.pdf Dear Mayor Ackerman and Mr. Simard, The Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has initiated an environmental assessment (EA) for Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. s (Plateau) Northeast British Columbia Expansion Project (NEBC). Further information is available on our website at Plateau proposes to construct and operate a transmission pipeline approximately 160 kilometres in length and millimetres (12 inches) in diameter to transport condensate and natural gas liquids from the Highway 97/Blair Creek area, north of Wonowon, BC, to an existing terminal near Taylor, BC. EAO would like to establish an Advisory Working Group (Working Group) of federal, provincial, local government and First Nation representatives to assist EAO with the EA of NEBC. Enclosed please find attached a copy of the Environmental Assessment Advisory Working Group Terms of Reference A one-day Working Group meeting is planned for the week of October 19, The purpose of the meeting would be to discuss the selection of valued components and a draft Application Information Requirements. In the coming weeks we will distribute meeting details, including a draft agenda and documents for review. Could you please confirm whether Mayor Ackerman will continue to be the designated contact for the City of Fort St. John and Mr. Simard for the Peace River Regional District for this project by Wednesday September 23, 2015? Please also indicate your interest and availability to attend the Working Group meeting outlined above. If you have any questions or require further information, please contact me at or by at heather.noble@gov.bc.ca or contact Ricardo Toledo, Project Assessment Manager at or by at ricardo.toledo@gov.bc.ca. Thanks, and regards Heather Heather Noble Project Assessment Officer BC Environmental Assessment Office Phone: (250) Heather.Noble@gov.bc.ca 1

3 A-2 Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. 4000, th Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 1G1 Telephone: (403) Fax: (403) VIA August 26, 2015 BC Environmental Assessment Office 1st Floor, 836 Yates Street Victoria, BC V8W 1L8 Attention: Ricardo Toledo Dear Mr. Toledo: Re: Proposed NEBC Expansion Project Request to Rescind Application for an Order Pursuant to Section (10)(1)(b) and Request for an Order Pursuant to Section (10)(1)(c) of the BC Environmental Assessment Act On March 13, 2015, Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. ( Plateau ) submitted a letter and supporting Project Description to the BC Environmental Assessment Office ( BC EAO ) requesting an Order pursuant to Section 10(1)(b) of the BC Environmental Assessment Act ( BCEAA ), directing that the proposed Northeast British Columbia Expansion Project (the Project ) does not require an environmental assessment certificate and that Plateau may proceed without an assessment. Please be advised that Plateau hereby rescinds its application for an Order pursuant to Section 10(1)(b) of the BCEAA, and requests an Order pursuant to Section 10(1)(c) of the BCEAA indicating the Project is a reviewable project that requires an environmental assessment prior to proceeding. Plateau further requests that an environmental assessment process be undertaken pursuant to Part 3 of the BCEAA, with the appropriate scope, procedures and methods to be ordered in accordance with section 11, having regard to the nature and extent of the proposed Project. Administration of the Section 10(1)(b) Request A review of the Project Description was completed from March 30 to May 19, 2015 by members of the Working Group, including: BC Oil and Gas Commission; Ministry of Environment; Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure; Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations; Peace River Regional District; WSLegal\040173\00003\ v1

4 A-2 District of Taylor; Saulteau First Nation; Blueberry River First Nation; Doig River First Nation; McLeod Lake Indian Band; Halfway River First Nation; and, West Moberly First Nation. Notification was provided to the Treaty 8 Tribal Association as well as Horse Lake First Nation, and Dene Tha First Nation, two Alberta-based treaty 8 signatories. Plateau tracked and responded to all comments received and met with parties that requested a meeting (e.g., Ministry of Natural Gas Development). On August 4, 2015, Plateau met with representatives from the EAO to provide a project update presentation, including an overview of route refinements, engineering design details, environmental fieldwork completed to date, and summary of consultation activities undertaken by Plateau. Plateau informed EAO that any changes made to the Project since the original Project Description was submitted in March 2015 further strengthened Plateau s intent to maximize use of existing disturbance and to avoid or minimize the potential for significant residual adverse effects. We trust that information filed to date in support of the Section 10(1)(b) process, to the extent it is relevant, will be considered in the environmental assessment process. A proposed Project schedule and draft Application Information Requirements and Valued Component scoping document is currently being developed and will be provided to the EAO for preliminary review and comment in the near future. Please advise if the EAO requires additional information at this time to support the environmental assessment process. Closure We look forward to working with the EAO to formally initiate the environmental assessment for the Project. If you have any questions, please contact the undersigned. Sincerely, PLATEAU PIPE LINE LTD. Brent MacIntyre Project Manager, Major Projects cc: Nathan Braun, Heather Noble, Michelle Carr (BC EAO) Lindsay McDonough (Stantec Consulting Ltd.) Irfana Qureshi, Jaime Lawrence (Plateau) WSLegal\040173\00003\ v1

5 A-2 IN THE MATTER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ACT S.B.C. 2002, c.43 (ACT) AND AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSED NORTHEAST BRITISH COLUMBIA EXPANSION PROJECT (PROPOSED PROJECT) ORDER UNDER SECTION 10(1)(c) WHEREAS: A. Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. (Proponent) proposes to construct and operate a transmission pipeline facility approximately 160 km in length and mm in diameter to transport condensate and natural gas liquids from the Highway 97 / Blair Creek area, north of Wonowon, BC, to an existing terminal near Taylor, BC; B. The proposed Project constitutes a reviewable project pursuant to Part 4 of the Reviewable Projects Regulation (B.C. Reg. 370/02), since the proposed Project includes a new transmission pipeline facility with a diameter of > and < mm and a length of > 50 km; C. The Executive Director has delegated to the undersigned, powers and functions under the Act, including the power to issue Orders under Section 10 of the Act; and D. The Project Assessment Manager considers that the proposed Project may have a potential significant adverse environmental, economic, social, heritage or health effect, taking into account practical means of preventing or reducing to an acceptable level, any potential adverse effects of the proposed Project. NOW THEREFORE: Pursuant to Section 10(1)(c) of the Act, the Project Assessment Manager orders that: (i) the proposed Project requires an environmental assessment certificate; and (ii) the Proponent may not proceed with the proposed Project without an assessment. Ricardo Toledo Project Assessment Manager Environmental Assessment Office Dated August 31, 2015

6 A PINK MOUNTAIN LOCATION 1 C-8-I/94-B LOCATION 2 C-59-A/94-B-16 BLUEBERRY RIVER FIRST NATIONS LOCATION W6 LOCATION 3 C-29-K/94-A-12 HALFWAY RIVER FIRST NATION LOCATION W6 CECIL LAKE ECOLOGICAL RESERVE LOCATION W GRAHAM LAURIER DOIG RIVER FIRST NATION GRAHAM LAURIER BEATTON CHARLIE LAKE BUTLER RIDGE A PE 29 BOCOCK PEAK CE VE RI Fort St. John R Taylor PEACE RIVER CORRIDOR KISKATINAW RIVER Hudson's Hope KISKATINAW WILLISTON LAKE MACLEOD LAKE INDIAN BAND (APPROX. 110KM) WEST MOBERLY FIRST NATIONS KLIN-SE-ZA Revised: By: celin SIKANNI CHIEF FALLS PROTECTED AREA W:\Clients\Pembina\ _Blueberry\Figures\General\ _Project_Regional_Location.mxd BUCKINGHORSE RIVER WAYSIDE Project Location MOBERLY LAKE MOBERLY LAKE SAULTEAU FIRST NATIONS Dawson Creek Proposed New Site Adjacent to Existing Third Party Site Proposed Upgrade/Expansion to Existing Pembina Controlled Site Road Highway Park/Conservancy 52N Watercourse Kilometres 1:1,000,000 (at original document size of 8.5x11) District Municipality Proposed NEBC Expansion First Nation Reservation Railway Waterbody Project Location Northeastern British Columbia Prepared by CL on Technical Review by LM on Client/Project Notes 1. Coordinate System: NAD 1983 UTM Zone 10N 2. Base features: Province of British Columbia. 3. Base Map: National Geographic, Esri, DeLorme, HERE, UNEP-WCMC, USGS, NASA, ESA, METI, NRCAN, GEBCO, NOAA, increment P Corp. Disclaimer: Stantec assumes no responsibility for data supplied in electronic format. The recipient accepts full responsibility for verifying the accuracy and completeness of the data. The recipient releases Stantec, its officers, employees, consultants and agents, from any and all claims arising in any way from the content or provision of the data. Plateau Pipe Line Ltd. NEBC Expansion Project Figure No. 2 Title Regional Location Page 01 of 01