Summary of the Environmental Impact Statement (Eia Report)
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SUMMARY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIA REPORT) for the Irving Oil Limited Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Marine Terminal and Multi-Purpose Pier Project May 2004 Summary prepared by: Department of the Environment and Local Government Environment and Local Government Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................4 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION a) Project Rationale............................................................................................4 b) Analysis of Alternatives.................................................................................5 c) Description of Facilities.................................................................................7 d) Construction and Commissioning..................................................................10 e) Operation........................................................................................................13 f) Decommissioning and Abandonment............................................................15 g) Accidents, Malfunctions and Unplanned Events...........................................15 h) Environmental Management..........................................................................16 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT a) Physical Land Environment...........................................................................19 b) Biological Environment.................................................................................20 c) Marine Environment ......................................................................................20 d) Rare and Endangered Species and Their Habitats .........................................21 e) Socio-economic Environment........................................................................21 4. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ANALYSIS a) Atmospheric Environment.............................................................................23 b) Groundwater ..................................................................................................25 c) Marine Environment ......................................................................................27 d) Freshwater Fish and Fish Habitat ..................................................................30 e) Terrestrial and Wetland Environment............................................................32 f) Migratory Birds..............................................................................................34 g) Commercial Fisheries ....................................................................................35 h) Health and Safety...........................................................................................37 i) Land Use ........................................................................................................39 j) Archaeological and Heritage Resources ........................................................40 k) Aboriginal Land and Resource Use ...............................................................42 l) Road Transportation Network........................................................................43 m) Labour and Economy.....................................................................................44 n) Vessel Navigation ..........................................................................................45 o) Effects of Environment on Project.................................................................47 5. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................48 6. OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT .................................................49 7. CONTACT INFORMATION..............................................................................49 2 List of Acronyms ACCDC – Atlantic Canadian Conservation Data Center APA – Atlantic Pilotage Authority BOG – Boil-off Gas CCME – Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment CEAA – Canadian Environmental Assessment Act CEPA – Canadian Environmental Protection Act COSEWIC – Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada CSA – Canadian Standards Association CSA Z276-01 – CSA Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – Production, Storage, and Handling DFO – Department of Fisheries and Oceans EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment EIS – Environmental Impact Statement EPP – Environmental Protection Plan ESA – Environmentally Significant Areas GDCWQ – Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality HADD – Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction HazOp – Hazard and Operability Analysis HES – Health, Environment, and Safety Management System LNG – Liquefied Natural Gas MCTS – Marine Communications and Traffic Services MMSCFD – Million Standard Cubic Feet per Day NAPS – National Air Pollution Surveillance Network NBDELG – New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government ORV – Open Rack Vaporizer Orimulsion® - – a trademark name for emulsified bitumen PM – Particular Matter RoW – Right of Way SCV – Submerged Combustion Vaporizer UPS – Uninterruptible Power Supply VEC – Valued Environmental Component 3 1. INTRODUCTION Irving Oil Limited proposes to develop a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Marine Terminal and Pier at the Irving Canaport facility near Saint John. The Project facilities would receive and store LNG that is unloaded from tankers, and regassify the LNG into natural gas for delivery to a pipeline. The terminal would be expected to operate continuously, with a design capacity of 28.3 million cubic meters (1,000 MMSCFD) of natural gas per day. The pier would also serve to unload emulsified bitumen (referred to as Orimulsion® in the EIS) from tankers and deliver it to storage tanks at the Canaport facility. An Environmental Impact Assessment Report/Comprehensive Study Report, which is being referred to as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been completed by Jacques Whitford Environmental Limited, with the assistance of several other firms under the management of Fundy Engineering and Consulting Limited on behalf of Irving Oil Ltd. The report describes in detail the proposed Project and alternatives considered in developing it. It reviews the existing environment at the proposed site of the Project, assesses the significance of potential environmental effects should the Project proceed, and proposes mitigative measures and follow- up monitoring programs. The EIS was prepared to meet the requirements of the New Brunswick Clean Environment Act Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation (87-83) and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA). This summary has been prepared by the Department of Environment and Local Government to assist the public in becoming familiar with the Project and the information contained in the report. 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION a) Project Rationale Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been cooled to the point that it condenses to a liquid. This reduces its volume by approximately 600 times, making natural gas available by tanker. LNG technology allows natural gas to be stored for use during high-demand periods in regions where underground storage facilities are lacking, such as the northeastern United States. Currently there are at least 113 active LNG facilities in the United States, including four marine import terminals. Worldwide there are 39 import terminals and 16 export terminals that handle LNG. Approximately 55 local utilities in the United States own and operate LNG plants as part of their distribution networks. The report states that the Project is being considered in direct response to the Province of New Brunswick's interest in securing a reliable supply of natural gas. Natural gas from the Project would be destined for the Irving Refinery, to meet local demand, and to meet demand along the existing pipeline corridor. 4 The Canaport facility offers an existing location with proven capabilities of delivering large quantities of hydrocarbon into southern New Brunswick. It is the closest deep-water facility to the northeast United States. Diversity of both the source of LNG and the means of delivery into downstream markets would increase the reliability of natural gas supply in North America, should the facility be connected with an existing natural gas distribution network. b) Analysis of Alternatives Site Selection The preferred site is near the existing Canaport facility in Saint John. Four sites within 30 km of industrial east Saint John were analyzed to determine if they were technically and economically feasible. Courtenay Bay, Saint John Harbour, and Lorneville sites were rejected primarily because of LNG tanker draft constraints, sufficient area to manoeuvre ships, and/or insufficient acreage available for the on-land facilities. The Canaport site has adequate draft for the LNG tankers that the pier would be designed to accommodate, and suitable adjacent land is available for construction of the LNG facility. The site is zoned for industrial use and somewhat removed from the City of Saint John, with an existing pipeline Right of Way (RoW) that would partially meet Project requirements. Spill response capability exists, and shipping lanes are established and understood. The proposed configuration of storage tanks was selected based primarily on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) thermal exclusion zone requirements from adjacent land uses (CSA Z276-01). The layout optimizes the efficiency of piping arrangements and supporting equipment, considers the best use of existing topography, and minimizes