Environmental Assessment Bulletin

Environment Minister Bob Mercer has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

UNDERTAKINGS REGISTERED:

(1)       Goodyears Cove Park Enhancement, Halls Bay
           Proponent: Town of South Brook

The proponent plans an expansion to the Goodyears Cove Municipal Park at South Brook, Halls Bay. The proposed expansion will encompass a 50 hectare area towards Wolf Head and will include construction of a 1,500 metre access road, campsites, picnic and lookout areas, upgrading swimming area, washroom facilities and parking lot. Construction is proposed to begin in the spring or early summer of 2003. The project was registered February 20, 2003; public comments are due March 28, 2003; and, the minister�s decision is due April 6, 2003.

(2)       St. John�s Salvage Yard, Incinerator Road (Foxtrap)
           Proponent: Newfoundland Recycling Ltd.

The proponent proposes to relocate an existing commercial salvage yard at Pocket Road, Long Pond, Conception Bay South to Incinerator Road off the Foxtrap Access Road which is located within the City of St. John�s. The proposed site is approximately 4.5 hectares in area and was formerly a quarry. The purpose of relocation is due to the limited space at the present facility.

Newfoundland Recycling Limited processes and recycles automobiles and scrap materials including fridges, stoves, hot water boilers, and oil tanks. The proponent proposes to build a warehouse, install a truck scale, and install a heavy-duty shredding unit and car crusher on the proposed site. The proponent anticipates that construction would begin in June 2003 and finish in July 2004. The project was registered February 17, 2003; public comments are due March 28, 2003; and, the minister�s decision is due April 3, 2003.

The minister encourages all interested parties to become involved and to make comments known. Comments on submitted documents are invited from the public, addressed in writing to the minister, and are welcome prior to the deadline date shown.

COMPONENT STUDY ACCEPTED AS SATISFACTORY:

Cartwright Junction to Happy Valley-Goose Bay Trans Labrador Highway
Proponent: Department of Works, Services and Transportation

The Historic Resources Component Study for the Cartwright Junction to Happy Valley-Goose Bay Trans Labrador Highway dated December 2, 2002 has been accepted as satisfactory by the minister.

ENVIRONMENTAL PREVIEW REPORT REQUIRED:

Argentia (Building 510) Biomedical Waste Management Facility
Proponent: Edward Collins Contracting Ltd.

The Minister of Environment has decided that the registration for the proposed Biomedical Waste Management Facility does not contain sufficient detail to determine the significance of the environmental effects and therefore will require an Environmental Preview Report (EPR). The EPR must address outstanding concerns including details regarding potential air emissions from the proposed incinerator and details regarding hammermill chemical storage and discharges.

The minister will appoint an assessment committee to meet with the proponent and prepare guidelines for the preparation of the EPR. The guidelines will be a public document, available upon request to all stakeholders and interested persons. For further information please contact the assessment committee chairperson, Carl Strong, at (709) 729-0834 or e-mail cstrong@gov.nf.ca

UNDERTAKING RELEASED:

Crown Five Year Forest Mgmt Plan Dist 23 (Postville) 2003-2007
Proponent: Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods

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

• The additional information needed by the Women�s Policy Office be supplied, including analysis of available employment data by gender for contracts. Specific initiatives and targets to address the need to increase the level of participation of women should be identified. An employment monitoring report must be submitted on an annual basis, including collection of employment statistics by gender in order to track progress on participation of women and to implement adjustment strategies if employment targets are not being attained.
  
• The buffers identified by the Provincial Archaeology Office for potential archaeological sites in the district be implemented until Stage 1 Historic Resources Assessments are completed for these sites.

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, NL, A1B 4J6

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

2003 02 21                                        12:45 p.m.