Just two local residents turned up to the joint review panel information session held last week in Burns Lake.
The panel’s secretariat arrived to discuss the review process and to explain to members of the public how to make an official comment on the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project.
Mayor Bernice Magee and one member of the public turned up to ask questions and to hear information from the secretariat, who are the panel’s representatives.
The meetings are also being held in other communities along the pipeline route.
The joint review panel is an three member independent body, mandated by the Minister of the Environment and the National Energy Board. Soon, the panel will assess the environmental effects of the proposed project and review the application under both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the National Energy Board Act.
The panel will look at a number of issues including the need for the project – supply and demand, the economic feasibility, the potential impacts on Aboriginal interests, the impact of the project on agricultural soils, the environmental impacts including wildlife habitat, fish habitat, species at risk and vegetation, geo-hazards and the socioeconomic impacts of the project.
The secretariat said the panel members were not going to be present for any of the information sessions as it is a requirement that they remain unbiased.
“They are looking forward to the community hearings so they can get out into the public,” said Jaclyn Silbernagel, communications officer with the National Energy Board.
According to Silbernagel the community hearings are scheduled to begin in January 2012.
Public participation in the process is encouraged and the secretariat said there are a number of participation options available to members of the public.
Public comments can be received in the form of a letter of comment, an oral statement, as an intervenor or as a government participant.
The letter of comment allows the public to write their views and concerns on the project and to also provide supporting information.
The deadline for a letter of comment submission is March 13, 2012.
Oral statements will be limited to 10 minute presentations and will be presented to the panel during community hearings.
According to Silbernagel is it important that people who wish to make an oral statement register by Oct. 6, 2011 as the panel will schedule community hearing sessions based on the requests for oral statements in each community.
“People who require more than 10 minutes can follow up their oral statement with a letter of submission,” she said.
Community members can also register as an intervenor. Once given intervenor status they are a full participant to the Joint Review Process and are able to participate in all aspects.
Community members can register as an intervenor either as an individual or a group and the deadline is July 14, 2012.
The final way to have a voice in the process is to register as a government participant.
This role is available to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments and is similar to the intervenor role, but with a number of restrictions.
Silbernagel said however, that government bodies are not required to register as government participants and can participate in any form they choose.
Mayor Bernice Magee said during the meeting that council plans to register as an intervenor, but have not yet done so. She said she understood that as an intervenor council will have full participation in the process.
According to the hearing order as a government participant the municipality would have the opportunity to submit information requests to Northern Gateway as well as ask for information requests from other intervenors and government participants only with prior approval of the panel.
As an intervenor council would have the ability to question other intervenors and Northern Gateway orally at the final hearings without requesting permission to do so.
“The entire process is designed to collect information and this information to be analyzed by the panel,” Silbernagel said adding that the panel read every submission. Every submission is also made public and is put on a public registry.
The secretariat are planning to hold community workshops as the process proceeds.
The workshops will cover topics such as how to write an information request and what to expect during the community hearings, however Silbernagel added that times and dates for the workshops have not yet been set.
“Public participation is important to the review process and we want to encourage people to participate. The more comments and local knowledge the panel receives the better the final report will be, and the panel will be able to make a better informed decision. The panel wants to hear from people,” she added.
The secretariat were not too concerned about the low turnout to the meeting in Burns Lake.
“I don’t think the low turn out is an indication that people in the area don’t have opinions on the proposed pipeline. I think it is more of an indication of the Canucks game [Stanley Cup Playoff game against the Boston Bruins played at the same time as the meeting],” Silbernagel said.
To date seven individuals and groups have registered for the intervenor status including; Skeena Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen, Old Masset Village council, Coastal First Nations, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Canadian Oils Sands organization as well as two members of the public.
A total of 85 letters of comment have been submitted from both Canada and the United States, many in opposition of the pipeline. The District of Kitimat and the District of Chetwynd have both registered as government participants and there has been one request to make an oral statement from a member of the public residing in Prince George.
For more information on the Joint Review Panel process contact the process advisory team on 1-866-582-1884 or to submit a comment to the panel or to view the public registry go to www.gatewaypanel.review.gc.ca or submit a comment by toll free fax at 1-877-288-8803.
