Energy & The Environment

Climate Change

Climate change has emerged as a major challenge for modern society. Governments, businesses, and our wider society all have a role to play in tackling it.

Climate change is a shift in long-term average weather patterns, which can include changes in temperature and in precipitation amounts.  The scientific community is virtually unanimous that our global climate is warming to do the increased volumes of green house gases in our atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide, which is produced from the burning of fossil fuels.

Managing our environmental impact and climate change continues to be a key priority. Our challenge is to sustain improvement in our environmental performance as produce energy. The hallmark of our Energy Hub is our array of diverse energy sources.

Our Energy Portfolio:

• 25 years of expertise in emission-free Nuclear Power
• 800 MW of clean, renewable Hydro-electric Power.
• The most responsibly produced Refined Fuels in North America
• Canada’s soon to be complete first-to market Liquefied Natural Gas Facility.

Next generation opportunities include:

• A second nuclear reactor.
• A second oil refinery.
• A bold plan is in the works that will make our region a global leader in the deployment of wind power.

Lowering carbon produced in our power generation has to continue to be a priority. These efforts need to be complemented with progressive energy efficiency programs and demand side management initiatives that have become increasingly more important to today’s consumers due to concerns over the environmental and economic costs of traditional energy sources.

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Commitment to Renewable Sources of Energy

Renewable energy is becoming an increasingly important part of the Energy Hub story. Concerns over climate change and sustainability have prompted consumers, industries, and governments to explore and invest in low-carbon, greenhouse gas-friendly renewable energy sources. Atlantic Canada’s wealth of wind energy resources, the active development of in-stream tidal technology, and millions of acres of both agricultural and forest biomass all contribute to the region’s rich and diverse portfolio of energy assets.

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Taking Action on Climate Change

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, is a cooperative effort by Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions – a greenhouse gas that causes global warming. Climate change is expected to raise sea level, change precipitation and impact other local climate conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems.

To address this important environmental issue, the RGGI participating states will be developing a regional strategy for controlling emissions. This strategy will more effectively control greenhouse gases, which are not bound by state or national borders. Central to this initiative is the implementation of a multi-state cap-and-trade program with a market-based emissions trading system. The proposed program will require electric power generators in participating states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

For more information…

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Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process through which the environmental impacts potentially resulting from a proposed project are identified and assessed early in the planning process. EIA identifies steps that can be taken to avoid negative environmental impacts or reduce them to acceptable levels before they occur. EIA therefore, represents a proactive, preventative approach to environmental management and protection.

Progressive companies and project proponents recognize that their projects must address the societal and environmental concerns of their host communities.  A mantra that has been embraced by companies participating in the Energy Hub is that “we may recognize that it is senior levels of governments that grant  permits, it is communities that grant permission for a project.”  This phrase is symbolic of the spirit of community engagement that we must continue to grow as the Energy Hub evolves.

Project proponents of the current and proposed energy hub projects want to be ensure that the community knows that their projects have been “tested at every corner” when it comes to environmental assessment to foster community engagement.

The Atlantica Centre for Energy is an industry association promoting the sustainable growth of the region’s energy sector. We work collaboratively with energy companies and communities to encourage broad-based community engagement.

Components of Environmental Assessment include:

Source: www.gc.ca

Further information on Environmental Impact Assessment
Government of New Brunswick: http://www.gnb.ca/0009/0377/0002/0020-e.pdf
Government of Canada: http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/index_e.htm

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