Designating Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s Deep Geological Repository as a “Project of National Interest”, Bill C-39 would eliminate independent impact assessments for nuclear projects

Designation of NWMO’s Nuclear Waste Transportation and Burial Project as a “Project of National Interest”

Nuclear Waste Watch, 1 Oct 26

The federal government announced its next step to short-circuit the review of a contentious nuclear waste project on Friday, September 18th. Notice was posted in the Canada Gazette that the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s (NWMO’s) Deep Geological Repository (DGR) project for all of Canada’s nuclear fuel waste is proposed for designation as a “Project of National Interest” under the Building Canada Act . The deadline to comment is October 26.This designation would guarantee project approval and would circumvent the Impact Assessment process . The Notice also indicates a reduced scope of any project review, eliminating long-distance transportation and long-term safety from whatever evaluation the federal government might employ in developing their conditions for the approval.

This follows from the June 24th announcment that it had referred three projects to the Major Project Office to consider the potential “listing” of under the Build Canada Act (aka Bill C-5).

One of those three projects was the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s extremely controversial plan to transport, process, bury and abandon all of Canada’s high-level nuclear waste at the Revell site in northwestern Ontario. The project is the subject of broad opposition and is in the early stage of an impact assessment. It’s unprecedented – there are no other operating deep geological repositories for nuclear fuel waste anywhere in the world – and the plan is still largely conceptual, with many parts of the operation not yet designed.

Key links:

Government of Canada News Release : Canada takes next step in potential listing of Deep Geological Repository project under Building Canada Act
Gazette I Notice of October 26 Comment Deadline

C-39, The Build Canada Strong Act , launched the day Parliament resumed on September 21st, is designed to steamroll over environmental protections and project review processes to accelerate construction of road, rail, ports and nuclear projects.

The bill delivers the May 8th discussion paper ‘s threat of transferring impact assessment of nuclear project’s from the independent Impact Assessment Agency to the nuclear industry led Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The first 44 pages concern themselves with deregulating the nuclear sector.

Given PM Carney’s penchant for speed nothing is certain, but we should expect parliamentary committee hearings this fall. There’s no summary from the Legislative library yet, but you can follow Bill C-39 HERE .

Key Links:

Government of Canada News Release : “Government of Canada introduces legislation to transform how Canada builds”
Government of Canada: Bill C-39 Introduction
Government of Canada: Bill C-39