St. John’s, NL (November 9, 2017) — On November 8, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) announced the latest recipients to receive federal funds to assist public and indigenous groups participate in the environmental assessment process related to offshore oil & gas projects off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The groups receiving funding are located in Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia while the proposed project is located in the Flemish Pass Basin, which is over 400 kilometres east of Newfoundland and Labrador in the Atlantic Ocean.
“Noia is fully supportive of meaningful consultation but it must be limited to projects that have the real potential to impact rights,” said Andrew Bell, chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil & Gas Industries (Noia) Board of Directors. “We are calling on the Government of Canada to set parameters on consultation where there is a low or no probability of impact – such as our offshore area. Consultation simply for the sake of consultation benefits no one – it has to make sense.”
So far in 2017, CEAA has allocated more than $859,111 in federal funds to assist public and Indigenous groups from over 2000 kilometres away – as far away as northern Quebec – to participate in the environmental assessment process related to offshore oil & gas projects off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, as per the table in the backgrounder below, over $700,000, or 84% of the total, has gone to groups outside of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“It seems that almost $1 million has been allocated for participation in consultations to the same groups concerning the same areas time and time again,” added Mr. Bell. “Noia questions not only the use of tax payers’ dollars but the additional time these consultations add to an already lengthy process.”
View the most recent CEAA news release noted above.
