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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Define Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) |
Regulatory process for assessing the environmental impacts of a proposed PROJECT. E.g. Keystone XL |
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Define Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) |
Method for assessing environmental impacts at each stage in the life cycle of a PRODUCT. E.g. gasoline |
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List examples of downstream impacts (5) |
1) Wildlife 2) Wetlands 3) Fish 4) Ground water 5) Local communities |
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What does NEB stand for? |
National Energy Board |
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What are upstream impacts? |
Upstream stage involves exploration, appraisals, and production. Issues such as accidental spills, blow-out, operational discharge, atmospheric emissions, extraction, upgrading, crude transport, refining, refined transport, distribution, construction. |
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Describe Keystone XL events |
NEB approved project, but did not take into account upstream negative impacts in EIA. Concluded that since not supplying or shipping oil, not dangerous. Harper believes good for economy. Obama will only approve if upstream emissions reduced and rerouting to avoid aquifer. Low opposition in Canada, no Review Panel required. |
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Describe gasoline LCA |
Surface mining and in situ stream extraction are very energy intensive methods to obtain gasoline compared to conventional oil extraction. |
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What does CCS stand for? |
Carbon Capture Storage |
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What is Carbon Capture Storage (CCS)? Describe the cost trends. |
Carbon dioxide is captured, transported, and stored underground in depleted oil and gas fields or deep saline aquifer formations several km below earth's surface. Technology cheaper than subsidized renewables, but still remains prohibitive. Cost declines as technology matures and becomes commercial. Expected to decline to price paid for carbon offsets. |
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What is Enhanced Oil Recovery? |
CCS project that uses CO2 to increase oil recovery. Oil wells close to depletion can have production increased by 10% by injecting CO2 to increase oil recovery |
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Carbon Capture in Canada |
Storage basins are formed of sedimentary material, conveniently located by oil fields. Vast amount of potential storage basins in Canada. Enough to contain all emissions from oil and gas industry. Most suitable: petroleum, electricity, mining/manufacturing. Unsuitable: residential/commercial, agriculture, industry and personal transport. Large growth potential. |
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Carbon Capture Projects in Canada (5) |
Leader in CCS (4th in the world). 1) Shell Quest (storage) 2) Enhance Pipeline (EOR) 3) Swan Hills Synfuels (EOR) 4) SaskPower Boundary Dam (EOR) 5) Weyburn (EOR) |
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Describe Shell Quest Project |
Scotford oil sands upgrader used to turn bitumen into crude. In-situ steam extraction produces 22% more emissions than conventional methods. Goal to capture 35% of emissions and bury in deep saline aquifer. Shell inject CO2 2km underground into deepest saline aquifer in Alberta under Basal Cambrian Sands (BCS). Stakeholders: Shell, public, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Stantec. |
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What are carbon offsets? |
A reduction or removal in GHG emissions from a project that features a new management practice, technology, and/or control system. Regulated firms can buy verified emissions reductions of greenhouse gases from voluntary actions arising from unregulated activities (e.g. offset projects in Alberta). 1M tons C/yr = $14M/year in savings |
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The 6 Steps of an EIA |
1) Screening 2) Scoping baseline assessment 3) Predicting environmental impacts 4) Determining whether such impacts are significant 5) Developing a plan for managing significant impacts 6) Monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts
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Describe the EIA Federal screening process |
Proponent submits project description. List based screening, threshold size consideration. 45 days after posting agency must assess: 1) Description of designated project provided by proponent 2) Determination of potential adverse environmental effects 3) Public commentary within 20 days of posting 4) Make a decision if EIA required and what type |
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Describe the EIA scoping and baseline assessment |
Determine scope of factors to be considered, focus on valued environmental components (VECs), determine size of Local Assessment Area (LAA): atmospheric environment, air quality, sound quality, groundwater resources, aquatic environment, terrestrial environment: soils + terrain, vegetation + wetlands, wildlife + wildlife habitat, archaeological and heritage resources, land use, current use of land, socio-economics, public health and safety |
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Describe the EIA impact prediction |
Divide the project into different components in order to designate specific ranks for potential adverse environmental impacts. E.g. capture infrastructure, pipeline, storage |
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Describe determination of significance of impacts |
Once impacts predicted, they are reviewed to determine which ones are significant. E.g. local loss due to construction of pipeline |
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Describe plan development to manage significant impacts |
The impacts determined to be significant have mitigation strategies applied to them in order to lessen negative outcomes. E.g. transplanting or seeding of rare plants located in disturbance area. |
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Describe monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts |
Follow-up and monitoring of mitigation effort required. E.g. rare plant transplantation and subsequent success monitoring for 3 years. |
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Name the 3 responsible authorities for assessing projects in Canada |
1) Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Nuclear Projects) 2) National Energy Board (Large Energy Projects) - pipeline, power plant, etc. 3) Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (all other projects) |
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What are the designated physical activities for a project to be considered for EIA? |
Power plants, transmission lines, dams, mines, offshore wells, pipelines, refineries, hazardous waste facilities, airports, railways, highways (above a certain threshold) |
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What are the time frame targets for the EIA process? |
2 months - Screening and Scoping baseline assessment
1 year - Predicting environmental impacts, determining whether such impacts are significant, developing a plan for managing significant impacts
Monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts |
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Types of Assessments in Canada (Federal) |
Regular project: 1 year complete
Sensitive Project: 2 years to complete Project determined on case-by-case basis to be sensitive by Minister of Environment (Leona Aglukkaq). Sensitive Projects assessed by a Panel Review. Process involves significantly more public interaction than regular. |
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Give an example of a sensitive project |
Northern Gateway Pipeline - Proposed pipeline to distribute land locked oil sands energy product to coastal refining facilities, significant public opposition of 29%, majority from first nations. Joint Review Panel comprised of biologist, NEB lawyer, and geologist from first nation. Panel review determined potential benefits outweight potential burdens and risks. Outside expertise required to decide. Caribou and grizzly effects were justified. Approval is conditional, JRP outlined conditions that must be agreed to before implementation (caribou do not like crossing pipeline, need to allow them to avoid predators) |
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What were the conditions outlined by JRP for caribou and grizzlies |
Caribou: prepare pre-construction caribou habitat assessment, habitat restoration, offset measures plan, offset measure monitoring program. Report on caribou. Grizzly: develop and implement Linear Feature Management and Removal Plan that would include no net increase in linear feature density in sensitive areas, such as grizzly bear habitat. Monitor during construction, collaborate with provincial wildlife authorities, participate with Aboriginal groups and research organizations. |
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Strengths of the Federal EIA legislation (Environmental Assessment Act) |
Enforceable conditions: $200,000-$400,000 fine. Public Participation Funding: provide funding thruogh a participant funding program to facilitate the participation of the public in the environmental assessment (attendants with direct local interest, community knowledge or relevant aboriginal traditional knowledge, expert information on effects) Cumulative Environmental Effects: must include past, current, and planned events. E.g. prior and future habitat loss. Includes future even after mitigation steps have been taken |
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Weaknesses of the Federal EIA Legislation |
Projects only assessed if on list of designated activities above a certain threshold size. E.g. surface mining on list, but in-situ steam extraction is not which also ahs large carbon footprint. In previous act, factors were not limited to areas of Federal jurisdiction, included any potential environmental, social, or economic effect. |
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Which governing body conducts Provincial EAs? |
The Ministry of Environment |
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Describe the EA process at the Provincial level |
No list for "considered projects" or a threshold size. If EA required, conducted by Provincial Ministries/Agencies, Municipal Governments, Other Public Organizations, but not Private Sector Projects |
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Describe process for a Regular Project Provincial assessment |
1 year to complete, account for 10% of total projects
3 months: screening and scoping/baseline assessment
8 months: predicting environmental impacts, determining whether such impacts are significant, developing a plan for managing significant impacts Monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts |
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Describe process for a Streamlined Project Provincial assessment |
0.5 years to completion, account for 90% of total project submittals.
Majority of projects pre-approved -predictable impacts. These include:
Transit: railway, bus terminal, GO Transportation: highway, freeway, Ontario Ministry of the Environment Electricity: transmission lines, transformers, Hydro One Municipal infrastructure: roads, water, sewers, City of Toronto Flood/erosion control: floodplain developments, Conservation Ontario
Screening is self-assessed, remaining steps reduced to 6 months
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Provide an example of a streamlined project |
Union-Pearson Express Train (diesel fuel instead of electric trains). Approved with lenient conditions: need to use newest technology for diesel fuel system |
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Strengths of Provincial EA |
Not limited to defined project list or threshold size. Streamlined assessment is much faster than federal EIA |
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Weaknesses of the Provincial EA |
Limited grounds for rejection/objection (e.g. Union-Pearson Express Train approved despite opposition to diesel trains). MOE can only reject a project/create restriction if it has "provincial implications". Assessment does not apply to private sector (if private project does not meet threshold size for Federal EIA, then no requirements apply). Window for fighting project in court is limited due to 6 month streamlined assessment |
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Describe process of a Provincial Screening |
List-based for pre-approved projects. No threshold size consideration. Unlike provincial level, all projects must be reviewed. Minister of the Environment reviews projects that do not fall under the list. If project is not on pre-approved list, then it most likely requires a full EIA. Some projects may require both Provincial and Federal levels of government. |
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Private sector projects environmental regulations |
Still must abide to other environmental regulations and legislation. |
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Which governing body conducts Federal Level EIAs? |
Environment Canada |
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What are the 8 scoping requisites? Use examples from the Northern Gateway Project |
1) Describe the purpose of the project and the need for it 2) Consider alternatives to the project 3) Delineate the spatial, temporal (construction, operations, and decommissioning periods), and jurisdictional boundaries 4) Identify what is at stake - VECs (valued ecosystem components: biophysical environmental and human) 5) Identify the stakeholders 6) Consult with the stakeholders 7) Identify potential impacts (malfunctions and accidents, construction and routine ops, societal and cultural impacts) 8) Conduct baseline surveys |
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Name the 2 ways to predict biophysical impacts |
Qualitative and Quantitative |
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What are the assessment steps for qualitative biophysical impacts (5) |
1) Identify potentially significant impacts (construction and operation) 2) Conduct baseline assessment 3) Select mitigation methods 4) Assess residual impact after mitigation (magnitude and reversibility) 5) Determine whether impact is significant |
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Define eutrophication |
Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen. Effect due to fertilizers, nitrogen, oil sands mining and upgrading, etc. |
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Biophysical impact quantitative assessment steps (6) |
1) Identify potentially significant impacts 2) Select parameters and thresholds 3) Conduct baseline assessment 4) Select mitigation methods 5) Assess residual impact 6) Determine whether impact is significant |
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What is the criteria for rating whether an impact is significant? (7) |
1) Direction 2) Magnitude 3) Geographical extent 4) Duration 5) Frequency 6) Reversibility 7) Ecological or socio-economic context |
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What is a method used to model the impact of increased NOx emissions? |
Black box, input-output method |
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What are the 3 steps in Human Health Risk Assessment? |
1) Exposure assessment: quantifying the potential amount or dose of each chemical received by humans through all relevant exposure pathways 2) Toxicity assessment: identify the potential adverse health effects associated with exposure, determine the maximum safe dose of the chemical for sensitive human subjects after exposure for a prescribed period 3) Risk assessment: comparing estimated exposures with exposure limits to identify potential human health risks |
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What are the 3 impacts associated with Predicting Human Impacts? |
1) Health impacts 2) Socio-economic impacts (employment and income, infrastructure and services) 3) Costing non-economic impacts (ecosystem services, upstream and downstream impacts) |
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What are economic multipliers? Where do they come from? |
In Keynesian economic theory, a factor that quantifies the change in total income as compared to the injection of capital deposits or investments which originally fueled the growth. Capture the impact of shocks to the economy on output, labour income, employment, and GDP. Generated by the I/O model for industries and commodities. |
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What is an economic input/output model? |
I/O analysis has its foundations in analytical framework. An I/O model consists of a system of linear equations which represent how various industries' commodities are distributed throughout the economy. |
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What are the two main factors to consider in a risk assessment? |
1) frequency 2) consequence
Risk = frequency x consequence
Inverse relationship between the two factors |
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Methods in predicting socio-economic impacts? (4) |
1) Economic input/output modelling of the Alberta economy to determine effects of project on employment and provincial GDP 2) Labour market analysis to relate the construction workforce demands to availability of workers 3) RAA: Key respondent interviews and analyzes historical experience with industry projects to gauge capacity of education, health, police, and other responses to construction 4) Key respondent interviews construction and operation traffic issues |
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What was the use of a hydrodynamic flood plain? |
Use I/O method, predicts amount of flooding for a hurricane magnitude event. Determine remedial flood protection project. |
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What causes the increased flood risks due to urbanization and climate change? |
Urbanization: increase runoff, increase flow and erosion, increase in sedimentation.
Climate change: increasing storm intensities. Dredging can help decrease sedimentation, but this factor increases risk again.
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What are the two thresholds in flood mitigation in Ontario? |
1) Hurricane Hazel storm standard 2) 100 year flood event |
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What are two flood Protection Projects in Toronto? |
1) West Don Lands 2) Port Lands |
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What were the solutions used to address the Portlands Flood issue? |
Problem: Don Mouth engineered for transportation. Unaesthetic/unnatural river mouth, land vulnerable to flooding, high water conditions. Correct 1) shape that river follows 2) contour of river bed.
Solution: Keep the old channel and create new natural path (increase curvature radius) for river to follow and a large spillway for flood conditions. Dredging still required. High project cost, but worth it in long run |
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What is a regulatory flood in Ontario? |
Province of Ontario currently uses rainfall from Hurricane Hazel centered over the Don Watershed to define limits of flooding. |
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Describe the Port Lands Infrastructure Plan |
Master Plan addresses water, sanitary, storm water, and transportation infrastructure servicing necessary to support the proposed land uses, including new public spaces part of revitalization of Lower Don Lands area. Integrated treatment: 1) Source control: green roofs to retain, evapotranspirate, and improve quality of runoff 2) Conveyance control: biofiltration measures and oil/grit separators 3) End-of-pipe control: settling tanks and disinfectant treatment |
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What are Municipal Class EAs (Master Plans)? |
Class EA Master Plans are long-range plans that integrate infrastructure requirements for existing and future land use with environmental assessment planning principles. Examines infrastructure system, group, or related projects in order to outline a framework for implementation of subsequent projects and developments with environmental protection and mitigation measures integrated in to project. |
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What are the 5 phases of a Municipal Class Master Plan? |
1) Problem or opportunity 2) Alternative solutions 3) Alternative design concepts for preferred solution 4) Environmental study report 5) Implementation |
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What is a green development scenario? |
Includes green infrastructure e.g. green roof, biofiltration in addition to settling tank. Green infrastructure increased infiltration, decreased run off, increasing TSS removal efficiency. Smaller holding tank required for settling. 90% TSS removal. |
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What is a grey development scenario? |
Only includes non-green infrastructure e.g. just a settling tank to handle all run-off. 80% TSS removal. |
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What does TSS stand for? |
Total suspended solids |
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What is the difference between Master Plan EAs and Scheduled Projects? |
Master Plans are comprehensive and must go through all 5 phases, scheduled/smaller projects do not. |
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What is the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and which aspects (3) does it include? |
Simulates various aspects of the proposed development. 1) Hydrology: generation of stormwater runoff from various catchment surfaces in response to rainfall 2) Hydraulics: conveyance of stormwater through the major collection system and storage within facilities 3) Water quality: generation of pollutants from various catchment surfaces and subsequent routing in collection system and treatment facilities |
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Describe Scheduled Projects |
A: normal or emergency operational maintenance activities A+: pre-approved, public to be advised prior to project implementation B: includes improvements and minor expansions to existing facilities C: includes construction of new facilities and major expansions to existing facilities |
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What were the risk assumptions Northern Gateway had made about a diluted bitumen spill? |
Diluted bitumen would float and could wash ashore within 15 days. Said that over time, the environment will recover to a pre-spill state, and most species will fully recover. JRP found dilbit is unlikely to sink as when fine sediments are suspended in water. However, in ocean conditions, high energy wave action mixes the sediments with diluted bitumen to form tar balls and will not wash ashore. Dilbit sinks in ocean. |
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Disadvantages of railway oil transport |
- expensive - more dangerous to humans - larger spills - higher risk of spillage - not as easily monitored |
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What are 6 ways the federal legislation ensures public participation? |
1) Adequate notice (specified timelines) 2) Provide access to information (online registry) 3) Allow fro public consultation and comment 4) Mandate aboriginal consultation 5) Fund participants in panel reviews 6) Hold hearings for panel reviews |
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What 3 purposes does the Canadian Environment Assessment Act (CEAA) serve? |
1) To protect the components of the environment that are within the legislative authority of Parliament from significant adverse environmental effects caused by a designated project 2) To promote communication and cooperation with aboriginal peoples with respect to environment assessments 3) To ensure that opportunities are provided fro meaningful public participation during an environmental assessment |
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What are aboriginal treaties? What is aboriginal title? |
Existing aboriginal treaty rights, including those contained in modern land claims agreements are constitutionally recognized and affirmed in the Constitution Act. Aboriginal title is a unique subset of Aboriginal rights, which the Supreme Court of Canada has defined as "a right to the land itself". It is a right that, where proven, provides for the exclusive use of the land, including a right to choose the uses to which the land can be put. |
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What are the goals of a consultation? |
To provide the public with an opportunity to make suggestions after assessments have been completed. Input gained from consultation should lead to further assessment tasks to mitigate the issues determined (iterative process). |
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Which 3 traditional land uses could the Northern Gateway Pipeline have an impact on? |
1) Harvesting 2) Habitation areas 3) Spiritual sites |
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What are public hearings? |
In addition to consultations, hearings are required where conflicting views may be heard. These hearings may be collaborative or contentious. For larger projects, formal hearing is required. |