Waterkeeper to participate in upcoming public hearings: Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI), Cameco conversion facility, and TransCanada Energy East pipeline
A fishing site in the Port Hope's Cameco area. (Photo by Dylan Neild)
Through the Participant Funding Program, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper recently received funding to participate in three upcoming intervenor hearings this year.
Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI)
Scheduled date: November 9-10, 2016 in Port Hope, ON
For many years Waterkeeper has investigated the historical contamination of Port Hope and Port Granby and has developed significant expertise and institutional knowledge about environmental challenges in these communities. Waterkeeper has also built strong relationships with local residents who have been concerned about these issues.
Waterkeeper seeks to provide distinctive and relevant information concerning excavation, dredging, and remediation activities conducted as part of the PHAI, as well as the adequacy of wastewater treatment and solid waste containment at the PHAI’s long-term waste facilities. We will seek to do so, with the assistance of an expert hydrogeologist. We also seek to provide assistance and recommendations to the Commission concerning the improvement of water quality monitoring and better public communication and reporting about its water quality management program. Waterkeeper is a leading expert on water quality monitoring and public water quality reporting.
Cameco's Port Hope conversion facility
Scheduled date: November 9-10, 2016 in Port Hope, ON
Waterkeeper has been involved in several decision-making process for the Cameco conversion facility for a number of years. Over this time, we have conducted extensive research on the facility, its operations, its provincial and federal licence terms, as well as its Vision in Motion plan. Waterkeeper has contributed our unique knowledge of the impacts of the facility on local surface and groundwater to past decision-making processes for this facility. We seek to build on this past work in order to meaningfully contribute to this upcoming hearing process.
Waterkeeper plans to provide distinctive and relevant information concerning stormwater management and spill plans at the Cameco facility, with the assistance of an expert hydrogeologist. We also seek to provide assistance and recommendations concerning the improvement of water quality monitoring and better communication with the public about this issue. We hope to do this with the assistance of an environmental lawyer and consultant. Waterkeeper is a leading expert on water quality monitoring and public reporting.
TransCanada Energy East Pipeline
Scheduled date: December 12-16, 2016 in Kingston, ON
Waterkeeper respectfully submits the OEB would benefit from considering the concerns we raise in our comments. Our comments were drafted to provide feedback that may be useful to the OEB upon the completion of Part 1 of their public consultation. Our feedback may also help inform the second part of the OEB’s consultation.
To summarize, our three concerns involve: the proposed Energy East pipeline’s impacts on Ontario’s consumption of Alberta’s natural gas and the province’s public utilities regulation; the environmental impacts of potential bitumen leaks from the repurposed section of the Energy East pipeline; and the minimal opportunity Ontarians may have to express their unique concerns with the NEB in the ultimate approval process for TransCanada’s proposal.
We hope our discussion of these three issues will also help to persuade the Ministry of Energy to intervene before the NEB in this matter.
See the full list of intervenors for the TransCanada Energy East hearing here.
Waterkeeper serves as an important voice for individuals and the ecology that will be directly impacted by any decision that affects the water quality of the Lake Ontario Watershed. We are grateful for the support received by the PFP and look forward to participating in these processes.