A trap for Steven Guilbeault

Eastern Newfoundland oil project a heartbreaking decision for federal environment minister

Joel-Denis Bellavance
The Press

(Ottawa) Federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault is set to make a decision soon on an ambitious plan to build a new drilling rig for oil and gas production in the Flemish Pass, about 500 kilometers east of Newfoundland, just as the Trudeau government promises to accelerate the fight against climate change and to tighten the screws on the oil industry in Canada.

A long-time activist for environmental causes before entering politics in 2019, Mr. Guilbeault is therefore facing one of the most heartbreaking decisions since his arrival at the Ministry of the Environment four months ago.

The Bay du Nord exploitation project, which is led by the Norwegian company Equinor, would have a lifespan of around 30 years and would extract 1 billion barrels of oil thanks to the construction of a floating installation in the ‘Atlantic Ocean.

Mr. Guilbeault, whose arrival at the head of the Ministry of the Environment has raised a lot of hope among environmental groups, is called upon to make a decision by March 6 on this project which has already received the blessing of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) in a preliminary report published in December 2020.

A decision was expected before Christmas, but Minister Guilbeault asked for an additional 90 days, as the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012 so authorized, in order to take into account the report of the environmental assessment of the CNSA and the comments of the interested groups.

This decision will take place in the context where the Government of Quebec formally decreed last week the end of the exploitation and prospecting of oil and gas deposits on its territory. Quebec has also provided a sum of $100 million to compensate the industry.

At the end of its assessment, the AEIC concluded that “the exploratory drilling project in the western Flemish Pass is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects” insofar as the company implements mitigation measures to protect fish and fish habitat, marine mammals and sea turtles, migratory birds and commercial fisheries.

“The Agency has taken into account the promoter’s environmental impact study as well as the responses to its requests for information; it also considered comments received from the public, government agencies and Aboriginal peoples during this environmental assessment and previous environmental assessments of exploratory drilling projects offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, the Agency considered the measures that would be implemented to mitigate the effects of the project, as well as the follow-up (monitoring) measures that the proponent will have to implement,” the report reads. .

Credibility or seats

The decision of Minister Guilbeault, who notably co-founded the environmental organization Équiterre, risks being perilous on several fronts. If he gives his approval, environmental groups will go to the barricades to smash his credibility when it comes to fighting climate change.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are still being criticized by these same groups for having bought the Trans Mountain pipeline from the American company Kinder Morgan, in May 2018, at a cost of 4.5 billion dollars, to carry out the project of expansion to triple its capacity.

But if he rejects the project, the Trudeau government could suffer political backlash in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Liberals currently hold six of the province’s seven seats in the House of Commons and have been dominant there for nearly 20 years.

Moreover, the Liberal government of Newfoundland unreservedly supports this project, which would partially replenish the coffers of the province, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.

“It will be a test of credibility for the Trudeau government, which says it takes the climate crisis seriously and boasts of not having authorized any fossil fuel exploitation projects since 2019.

“If the government wants to deliver on its promise to cap emissions from the oil and gas sector at their current level and then rapidly reduce them, it must reject this plan and invest to create green jobs and enable a just transition for workers and communities. . Will the government listen to the oil lobby or science and the International Energy Agency, which tell us that no further exploration or expansion of fossil fuel production can be justified if we are to respect the Paris Agreement and Limit Global Warming to 1.5°C? “, he added.

In the office of Minister Guilbeault, it was indicated that the project was still under study. “The Minister cannot comment on a project that is being assessed. Once the independent assessment is completed, the Minister will make a decision which will be made public,” said Kaitlin Power, press secretary to the Minister of the Environment.

She highlighted that Equinor committed in November 2020 to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. “To achieve this, Equinor is committed to reducing emissions from its oil and gas production, while investing also in renewable energies and new technologies. In terms of next steps, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IACA) held a comment period on the draft environmental assessment report and potential environmental assessment conditions for the proposed Bay du Nord development from August 9 to September 9, 2021,” she said in an email to The Press.