Cedar LNG Project — Public Comments Invited

September 19, 2019 — Ottawa — Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) has accepted an initial project description for the proposed Cedar LNG Project, located near Kitimat, British Columbia.

The Agency invites the public and Indigenous groups to review the summary of the initial project description and provide feedback related to the proposed project. Comments received will support the Agency in the preparation of a summary of issues. Once completed, the Agency will provide the summary of issues to the proponent, Cedar LNG Export Development Ltd.

Substitution Request

In addition, the Government of British Columbia has requested that the conduct of the federal impact assessment process be substituted to the province. This means if the Agency determines an impact assessment is required, and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change decides that the provincial process is an appropriate substitute for the federal process, the provincial government would conduct the impact assessment of the project on behalf of the Agency. In a substituted process, British Columbia would gather the information needed for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to make an impact assessment decision under the Impact Assessment Act.

The Agency is also seeking comments from the public and Indigenous groups on this request.

Public Comments Invited

Written comments in either official language will be accepted until October 20, 2019.

Comments can be submitted online by visiting the project home page on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (reference number 80208). All comments received will be published online as part of the project file.

For more information on the project, the review process and alternative means of submitting comments, visit the Agency's website at canada.ca/iaac.

As next steps, the proponent will provide the Agency with a detailed project description and its response to the summary of issues. Taking into consideration these documents, as well as comments received during the public comment period, the Agency will determine whether a federal impact assessment is required for the proposed project. If one is required, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change will make a determination as to whether to approve substitution.

The Agency is working in cooperation with British Columbia's Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) as described in the Canada-British Columbia Impact Assessment Cooperation Agreement. If substitution is approved, the Agency will provide all comments received to the EAO for consideration in the substituted process.