Environmental Project
Commitments
The
Alberta
Experience
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Outline
– Where is Alberta?
• Alberta Stats
– Legislative Background
• Federal
• Provincial
– Alberta Transportation Requirements
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Interdepartmental Referrals
Functional Planning Studies
Project Design
Project Construction
– Recommendations
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Alberta Statistics
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33000 KM (20,OOO mi) Provincial Roads
35 grading contracts/yr (2004)
80 base/paving contracts
38 bridge/major culverts
$550 MM Capital program
$170 MM Operations/Maintenance
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Legislative Background
Federal
– Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
• Federal departments, agencies and crown
corporations must undertake an EA before they:
– Carry out a project
– Provide funding for a project
– Sell, lease or transfer control or administration of land to
enable a project to be undertaken; or
– Issue an authorization for a project
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Legislative Background
– Inclusion List Regulations
• Prescribe the physical activities and classes of
physical activities subject to an EA when a federal
department or agency proposes, funds or otherwise
authorizes the project by issuing a permit or
authorization
– Fisheries Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act
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Legislative Background
– Comprehensive Study List Regulation
• Prescribe projects and classes or projects for which a
comprehensive study is required because they may
cause significant adverse environmental effects or
generate considerable public concern
– All season public highway that will be more than 50 KM
(30 MI) in length and either be located on a new right-ofway or will lead to a community that lacks all-season
public highway access.
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Legislative Background
– Law List Regulation
• Identifies and federal statutory and regulatory
approvals that will trigger an EA. An EA may be
required whenever a federal department or agency is
asked to provide a license, permit, certificate or
other regulatory authorization
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Legislative Background
– Type of Environmental Assessment
• Depends on the nature of the project and the
potential significance of environmental effects.
– Environmental Screening Report (ESR)
» Relatively quick
– Comprehensive Study
» May also include a review panel or mediator
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Legislative Background
Provincial
– Environmental Protection and Enhancement
Act
• Environmental Assessment Regulation
– Widening or realignment of an existing highway is exempt
– Where the project is not a mandatory activity, but the
potential environmental impacts warrant further
consideration, the Director (AENV) will prepare a
screening report to determine whether an EA is required.
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Legislative Background
• Provincial
– Water Act
• Code of Practice for Watercourse Crossings
Details requirements for construction of bridge/culvert that
may affect a watercourse.
Wetlands must be either missed, impacts minimized or
mitigation implemented
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Alberta Transportation Process
Interdepartmental Referrals
– All projects where ground is to be disturbed
must be referred to other provincial govt.
departments through all stages of a project.
– Close contact with all regulatory agencies is
required.
– Environmental Section of AT to receive copies
of all correspondence
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Functional Planning Studies
– Environmental evaluation required
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Includes all Valued Ecosystem Components
Fisheries
Wildlife
Vegetation
Hydrology
Wetlands
Air Quality (if near major centers)
Noise (If near major centers)
Historic Resources
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Functional Planning Studies
– Integrate environmental aspects into preferred
roadway alignment
– Include mitigation/compensation requirements
from regulatory agencies
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Project Design
– Review Functional Planning Report
– Refer project to provincial regulatory agencies
via interdepartmental referral system
– Involve Federal regulatory agencies
– Obtain approvals as required and include within
tender document
– Consultant must prepare an Environmental Risk
Assessment
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Project Construction
– Contractor to prepare an ECO-Plan
(Environmental Construction Operation Plan)
detailing how they will meet environmental
requirements of contract.
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Recommendations
• Independent review of tender document by
environmental specialist,
• Review by in-house staff
• Consultant firm that undertook preparation
of EA must be on design team
• Audit by EMS team
• Environmental Inspector
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Last Slide
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