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Environment Minister Barry Penner and Community Development Minister Blair Lekstrom made their decision to grant the EA certificate after considering a comprehensive review led by B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office.
The project consists of a 140-hectare
regional landfill to be located onsite at the Highland Valley Copper Mine about
19 km west of the District of Logan Lake. With an ultimate capacity of 55
million tonnes, the project could receive up to 600,000 tonnes of municipal
solid waste per year. The project is designed to minimize the landfill
footprint, reduce greenhouse gases and harness the renewable energy produced by
waste decomposition. The District of Logan Lake has indicated it has no
significant concerns with the project.
The EAO Assessment Report concludes that the project should not have significant adverse effects, based on the mitigation measures and commitments included as conditions of the EA certificate. Before the project can proceed, the proponent will still need to obtain the necessary provincial licences, leases and other approvals.
The provincial environmental assessment certificate contains more than 70 commitments that the proponent must implement throughout various stages of the project. Key commitments include:
· Install a triple-liner for the landfill for the purposes of containing, collecting and treating leachate, and include an extensive groundwater monitoring system for the area.
· Undertake a comprehensive surface and groundwater-monitoring program throughout the year in the pre-construction, operations and closure phases of the landfill, encompassing all potentially affected watercourses in the area, until such time as the raw leachate meets all Ministry of Environment water quality criteria.
· Conduct a comprehensive air quality-monitoring program for contaminants during the pre-construction and operations phases of the program.
· Install a landfill gas management system to recover and produce energy from gases. The proponent must implement other greenhouse gas-reduction measures required by the Ministry of Environment.
· Install wildlife fencing and litter control fencing to minimize wildlife access to the site, as well as implement wildlife control systems for birds and rodents.
Capital costs for the landfill are expected to be $112 million. The project is expected to generate 35 jobs during construction, and between 25-38 full-time operations jobs for the duration of the project, depending upon annual tonnage. It is also expected to support 80 waste transportation jobs associated with the forestry sector. Annual revenue to local government is expected to be in the range of $300,000 to $1 million.
Prior to reaching this decision, Minister Penner considered whether the EA process should be suspended pending completion of the Metro Vancouver solid waste management plan amendment (SWMP) process, which began in July 2006. He determined a suspension was not required in the circumstances, given that some of the First Nations who are closest to the project specifically wanted a decision at this time, and also because this project and others now have been considered through Metro Vancouver’s SWMP process.
No local government will be permitted to use this facility unless its solid waste management plan is amended accordingly, which would require further approval from the Minister of Environment.
More information on the environmental assessment certificate and the minister’s decision not to suspend the assessment can be found at www.eao.gov.bc.ca
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