Nova Scotia to speed up environmental reviews for clean energy projects

Keith Doucette · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 08, 2025 2:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The Nova Scotia authorities is accelerating the biology reappraisal process for a fig of cleanable vigor projects to conscionable its clime goals and get disconnected ember by 2030.

Under changes announced Thursday, ample biomass, biogas and cleanable substance projects person been changed to Class 1 from Class 2, meaning they tin beryllium approved wrong 50 days. The much rigorous Class 2 assessment, which tin instrumentality much than 2 years, is present reserved for projects specified arsenic pulp mills, cement plants, incinerators and ample vigor plants.

The authorities is besides classifying tiny modular reactor projects, antecedently not covered by regulations, arsenic Class 1, a designation that had antecedently been reserved for renewable projects involving wind, tidal and star energy, arsenic good arsenic for biofuels, mines, quarries and alterations to ample wetlands.

Environment Minister Tim Halman says the state has committed to reaching nett zero greenhouse state emissions by 2050.

"Without the quality to physique faster, we volition not beryllium capable to conscionable our clime alteration and vigor information commitments," said Halman. "These changes are intended to velocity up our modulation to cleanable energy, combat planetary clime alteration and enactment sustainable development."

Under the changes, tiny wood biomass projects volition present beryllium exempt from the biology reappraisal process and volition beryllium managed done the Environment Department's concern support process.

Meanwhile, the state is extending the Class 1 consultation play for members of the nationalist and Mi'kmaq communities by 10 days, for a full of 40 days, portion the full appraisal play remains astatine 50 days.

As well, companies volition besides person to supply a "plain language" summary of a projected project's benefits and impacts, and the authorities volition see caller "plain language" guidance for companies connected the biology reappraisal process, which volition see clime alteration arsenic a origin to beryllium considered earlier a curate approves a project.

"It's a clarified Class 1 system," said Halman. "A wide process that volition support the situation and physique up the economy."

The changes travel aft Premier Tim Houston signalled his intent earlier this twelvemonth to summation the imaginable of the province's earthy resources. In March, his authorities passed authorities to assistance a moratorium connected fracking and a prohibition connected uranium mining and exploration.

Officials connected Thursday did not accidental whether imaginable shale state fracking projects would beryllium assessed nether a Class 1 oregon Class 2 process. In a followup email, the Environment Department said companies funny successful specified drilling would request to get support from the Department of Energy and past support done the province's concern reappraisal process.

The caller classifications were welcomed by Todd Burgess, enforcement manager of the manufacture radical Forest Nova Scotia.

"Simplifying regularisation is going to beryllium precise bully for the wood sector, it volition assistance america turn and make much jobs agelong word successful agrarian Nova Scotia," Burgess told reporters.

However, Karen McKendry, elder wilderness outreach co-ordinator for the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre, said that portion much cleaner vigor projects are needed, the changes to the reappraisal process "aren't meaningfully adjuvant successful getting america there."

"One of the large problems with the process already that they didn't alteration contiguous was astir transparency," said McKendry, who noted that the authorities held consultations successful 2023 connected changes needed to biology reviews.

She said galore participants successful the consultations called connected the authorities to instrumentality nationalist remark earnestly and for the curate to supply a rationale for biology support decisions. McKendry said that simply adding 10 days to the Class 1 consultation play volition bash little.

"I deliberation for communities, that volition beryllium 10 much days of shouting into the void," she said.