| Nova Scotia releases terms of reference for Northern Pulp report |
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| April 30, 2020 |
CANADA (From news reports) -- Northern Pulp has been given a clearer idea of what the province is looking for if the company is to reopen its mill in Pictou County.
On Tuesday, the province released the final terms of reference for the Northern Pulp environmental assessment report.
"This document provides a road map for the company to follow as it works to submit an environmental assessment report," Environment Minister Gordon Wilson said. "Once that report has been submitted, I am open to considering whether an environmental assessment panel should be appointed."
Northern Pulp now has up to two years to submit the report on its proposed new effluent treatment plant.
The company has indicated its desire to reopen the now hibernated mill but said that it needed clear guidelines from the province.
"We will take the necessary time to thoroughly review, understand, and seek clarity from Nova Scotia Environment where needed, and determine if the terms of reference provide a workable path forward," said Graham Kissack, Paper Excellence Canada's vice-president of environment, health and safety.
Northern Pulp closed at the end of January after failing to get an extension to the Boat Harbour Act, which mandated that the treatment facility used by the mill close by January 2020.
Northern Pulp had hoped to get approval for a new treatment facility but has failed to obtain the environmental approval required.
On Oct. 2, 2019, Northern Pulp submitted a focus report that outlined its plan to build an activated sludge effluent treatment facility at Abercrombie Point and a transmission pipeline that would carry treated effluent overland and then through water to discharge into the Northumberland Strait.
On Dec. 17, 2019, the environment minister determined that more information was needed than what had been included in Northern Pulp's focus report and said an environmental assessment was needed before the project could be given a green light.
Since January, Northern Pulp has been working on hibernation of the kraft pulp mill. Operation of the power boiler continued with limited effluent discharge into Boat Harbour to protect pipes from freezing and maintain adequate warmth in the treatment process during colder months. The company shut down the power boiler on April 15 and stopped discharging effluent into Boat Harbour on Sunday.
Fewer than 30 employees will remain on site after May 1 to continue cleanup of the wood yard, monitor and maintain the mill site and arrange for the removal of sludge from Boat Harbour. An additional 16 employees will continue to work in Northern Pulp's woodland operations, making harvest blocks available to sawmills, and at the company's nursery in Debert, readying 4.6 million trees for Nova Scotia contractors to plant this year, the company stated.
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