Environment Minister Ralph Wiseman has announced the following events relative to the Environmental Assessment Act.

UNDERTAKINGS CONDITIONALLY RELEASED:

Abitibi Consolidated District 13 Five Year Operating Plan (Buchans Region) Proponent: Abitibi Consolidated Incorporated

The minister has released the undertaking subject to the following terms and conditions:

1. The proponent implement its proposed measures (letter dated November 5, 2001) designed to lessen the impacts of forest harvesting activities on the nearby Twin Valley Lodge. 

� expansion of proposed buffer zones for a total of 525 hectares. This will include actions to help camouflage harvesting activities
� use of winter roads
� dedicated road de-commissioning (removal of stream crossings).

2. The additional employment information needed by the Women's Policy Office be supplied by the submission within six months of a Human Resource Plan, outlining specific initiatives and targets to address the need for gender equity in the undertaking, and that the proponent submit an employment monitoring report on an annual basis, including collection of employment statistics by gender in order to track progress on the plan and to implement adjustment strategies if targets are not being attained.

3. If cutting must occur within the two blocks (Princess Lake and Portage Lake Alternate) identified by Inland Fish and Wildlife Division prior to the completion of the pine marten suitability modeling exercise, then all harvesting should be done on a selective basis following the guidelines established by the Pine Marten Recovery Team and in consultation with the division; following analysis of the model outputs, the division may require amendments to operating areas and/or harvest methods per the Pine Marten Recovery Plan. The Costigan Lake Area, AC-13-02, is along the migration route of the Buchans caribou herd. Harvesting should be minimized during spring (April 15 - June 1) and fall migration periods (September 15 - December 1).

Abitibi Consolidated District 14 Five Year Operating Plan (Cold Brook/Silver Lake Area) Proponent: Abitibi Consolidated Incorporated

The minister has released the undertaking subject to the following terms and conditions:

1. The additional employment information needed by the Women's Policy Office be supplied by the submission within six months of a Human Resource Plan, outlining specific initiatives and targets to address the need for gender equity in the undertaking, and that the proponent submit an employment monitoring report on an annual basis, including collection of employment statistics by gender in order to track progress on the plan and to implement adjustment strategies if targets are not being attained.

2. If cutting must occur within the four blocks (Moustache Pond and Alternate, Triangle Pond Alternate and Silver Lake Alternate) identified by Inland Fish and Wildlife Division prior to the completion of the pine marten suitability modeling exercise, then all harvesting should be done on a selective basis following the guidelines established by the Pine Marten Recovery Team and in consultation with the division; following analysis of the model outputs, the division may require amendments to operating areas and/or harvest methods per the Pine Marten Recovery Plan.

The minister encourages all interested parties to become involved and to make comments known. Further information may be obtained by contacting the Director of Environmental Assessment at (709) 729-2562 or toll-free: 1-800-563-6181 or by mail to:

Director, Environmental Assessment Division
Department of Environment 
West Block, Confederation Building
P.O. Box 8700, St. John's, NF, A1B 4J6

Environmental Assessment Information is on the government Web site at www.gov.nl.ca/env

2002 01 08                             9:30 a.m.