Environmental Assessment Bulletin

Environment and Conservation Minister Tom Osborne has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

UNDERTAKING RELEASED:

The Arches and Flat Hills Wind Power Project (Northern Peninsula)                      (Reg. 1148)
Proponent: Kruger Inc.

The minister has released the above project from further environmental assessment subject to the following conditions:

• An avian monitoring program must be implemented as per protocols outlined in the document Bird Monitoring Program to Assess Impacts of the Wind Turbine Project on Birds at The Arches and Flat Hills, Newfoundland.
  
  
• Ground surveys must be conducted to establish presence/absence of woodland caribou during the calving/post-calving period (May 1 - July 15). If caribou are sighted in the area, construction activities must cease, until the caribou leave the area.
  
  
• Both the Arches and Flat Hills sites must be surveyed by a qualified botanist prior to any ground disturbance to establish the presence/absence of rare and listed plants and to ensure that they are not adversely impacted.
  
  
• An environmental effects monitoring program must be established to assess possible population changes to arctic hare and ptarmigan, and to determine if such changes are directly or indirectly related to increased access as a result of the Flat Hills project.
  
  
• A gate must be installed at a suitable location on the access road to restrict vehicle access to the Flat Hills site. This location must be submitted to the Department of Environment and Conservation for approval prior to its installation.

Further information may be obtained by contacting the Director of Environmental Assessment at (709) 729-4211 or toll-free: 1-800-563-6181 or by mail to:

Director, Environmental Assessment Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
West Block, Confederation Building
P.O. Box 8700, St. John's, NL, A1B 4J6
Environmental Assessment Information is on the government Web site at //www.gov.nl.ca/env

2004 10 28                             11:05 a.m.