STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS OF AN RCE IN EVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT THE CASE OF THE YANCOAL POTASH MINE IN SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA 5 TH RCE CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAS CURITIBA, BRAZIL, OCT. 21, 2016 (10:15-10:45 AM) Roger A. Petry, Co-coordinator RCE Saskatchewan & Associate Professor of Philosophy, Luther College [email protected]Note: many slides contributed by the Havelock Special Projects Committee and RCE SK Sustainable Infrastructure Working group
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Strategic Interventions of an RCE in Environmental Assessment, RCE Saskatchewan, Canada
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Specific Projects Traditionally Reviewed by Canada Environmental Impact Assessment Act
Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2012 seeks to fast-track development
Many EIA become a provincial responsibility even for large projects (like a potash mine)
2015 SaskWater “pre-applies” for water use permits even prior to projects known by communities
PRAIRIE REGION: NORTH AND SOUTH
SASKATCHEWAN RIVER
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS:
WATER, WATER, WATER…
Diefenbaker Lake: Water
Storage from Rocky
Mountains/Glacial Melt
Inflow of water to Lake Diefenbaker (source of Buffalo Pound water) declined
~30% over 100 years
Lake
source: Prairie Provinces Water Board (courtesy David Sauchyn)
Vo
lum
e (
da
m3)
Saskatchewan Aquifers
Yancoal
Exploration
Campaign
(2013-2014)
TIMELINE OF DEVELOPMENT
Yancoal Offers to
Purchase Land
(Jan – March 2014)
Yancoal Poster
Board Info
Sessions
(March 2015)
Yancoal Submits EIS
to Ministry
(Summer 2015)
Yancoal Hires Community
Relations Officer
(October 2015)
Community/RM
Demand Public
Forum/ Meeting
(July 2015)
Land Owners
Request Formal
Meeting
Yancoal DECLINES
(March 2014)
Yancoal Attends
RM Meetings
(September 2015)
HSPC Formed
(September 2015)
RM Hires
Professional
Services
(December 2015)
Yancoal Opens
Local Office
(January 2016)
Community Lead
Info Session
(January 2016)
2013 2014 2015 2016
SITE OF PROPOSED
YANCOAL-SOUTHEY POTASH MINE
Havelock: a thriving agricultural community
Within 5 miles of proposed core facility:
326 people, including 80 children
129 family farms
Wildlife, including burrowing owls, ducks, fish, and large game
12 family farms within 1 mile of core facility
3 miles from proposed core facility
IMPACT ON AREA RESIDENTS: YOUNG FAMILIES WITH HIGH
POPULATION DENSITY (FOR RURAL SK!)
Population Count = 129 Homes within 5 miles = 326 People
(Red Dot = 1 family farm)
Strasbourg
Grid
# 6 Highway
AREA RESIDENTS EXPRESS CONCERNS
Havelock Community Hall, May 11, 2016
RESIDENTS’ KEY CONCERNS
1. Lack of participatory engagement with
those directly impacted
2. Impact on drinking water sources– use of
Buffalo Pound water and drilling through and
under Hatfield Aquifer
3. Salt spray contamination of surrounding
land and downstream water
4. Lack of adequate study and planning on
impacts and development of contingency plans
1. LACK OF PARTICIPATORY PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT BY YANCOAL
never hosted participatory meetings with impacted residents, only come-and-go poster presentations. Participatory meetings hosted only by the RM and volunteers.
RM of Longlaketon received no assistance from the province with evaluation of the proposal.
no partnership created with those most impacted in community
First contact with individual farmers included offers to purchase land; requirement to respond within 10 days and sign a confidentiality agreement.
2. IMPACT ON DRINKING WATER
0.5 cubic metres of fresh water per second drawn from Buffalo Pound Lake for coming 100 years. Source of water for capital city of
Regina (Pop. 260,000)
Equivalent to approx. ½ water use of City of Regina (Pop. 260,000)
No other water sources researched, including non-potable water from Quill Lakes
Contamination risk to the Hatfield Aquifer, source of pristine drinking water to farms and communities. Mine requires drilling through and beneath the aquifer.
3. SALT SPRAY CONTAMINATION
40 – 80 meter salt pile will spray salt to the surrounding area negatively impacting human, animal, soil, farmland and plant health
Loon Creek, major tributary to PasquaLake, is 3 miles from the proposed tailing ponds and will be impacted by salt and other contaminants. I love my
lake
I love the
Qu’Appelle
River Valley
Photo: DepositPhotos.com
White = waste salts from Mosaic Potash mine salt pile
Mosaic mine site 2011
5 km
SALT SPRAY CONTAMINATION
4. LACK OF ADEQUATE STUDY &
PLANNING
Lack of detail on project design, monitoring in contingency planning in the case of contamination of water and soil
Lack of federal impact study. Prior to 2012, a project of this size would have triggered a comprehensive study under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.Mention of potash mines was eliminated from this Act in 2012.
Lack of demonstrated commitment to sustainable practices – poor understanding of impact on fish, wildlife, water, land, air, traffic and public safety, heritage and culture
FURTHER STUDY NEEDED: SINKING
(SUBSIDENCE) OF LAND
Sinking (Subsidence) of land will cause changes to water drainage, structural damage to existing buildings and use of land.
Planning required to address/mitigate impacts
Written commitments needed to give landowners reassurance they will not lose property value or have buildings damaged as a result of subsidence.
K+S POTASH MINE TRAFFIC ROAD 1
(HIGHWAY 11 TO CORE FACILITY)
VIDEO GOES HERE
Oct 30, 2015 5:40PM
http://www.highways.gov.sk.ca/sask-maps
SAFETY CONCERN
FOR SCHOOL BUS ROUTES
Strasbourg
Grid
Yancoal
Proposed
Route
# 6 Highway
LOCAL RCE INVOLVEMENT
Local RCE Flagship Project (CLEM Ecomuseum)
connects with Havelock community reps.
Facilitation of meeting of local Havelock
community defining vision of development (May
2016)
Major contributions to community submission to
provincial Yancoal EIA (June 2016)
Technical Background of Environmental Assessment
Legislation
Investigation of Yancoal record in China
DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY VIDEO
Video for various audiences (August 2016)
Includes Prime Minister of Canada, Hon. Justin Trudeau