Review Panel Process

May 20, 2016

The Newfoundland and Labrador Hydraulic Fracturing Review Panel will issue its Final Report in reference to hydraulic fracturing in Western Newfoundland on Tuesday, May 31. The report will be online at www.nlhfrp.ca by 9:30 a.m.

October 1, 2015

Prior to participating in various Public Consultation Sessions, the Panel has been proactively soliciting input and information from a variety of sources to assist the Panel in delivering on its mandate. Since April 15, 2015 the Panel has:

• Received in excess of 600 submissions from the public which have been posted to the web site

• Contracted an external organization to undertake a province wide survey which resulted in over 800 Newfoundland & Labrador residents participating in a detailed survey regarding Hydraulic Fracturing. Results of the survey have been posted on the web site and can be found at:    http://nlhfrp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/MQO-Fracking-Report.pdf

• Worked with key stakeholders in Western Newfoundland to determine the most appropriate locations and timing for the Public Consultation Sessions. The Panel will be holding these sessions with groups and individuals who have made submissions to the Panel and who have requested to present the key points of their written submission orally to the Panel.   Members of the public are invited to attend these sessions. Priority for presenting at a public consultation session will be given to individuals/groups that have made written submission to the Panel and who requested to present orally to the Panel. Others will be accommodated on a first come, first-served basis as time permits.

The sessions will be held in:

• Rocky Harbour October 13^th– 4:00 pm  Fisherman’s Landing Inn

-12 Confirmed Presenters

• Stephenville October 14^th  – 4:00 pm Days Inn

-11 Confirmed Presenters

• Port au Port East October 15^th – 4:00 pm  Maria Regina Parish Hall

-9 Confirmed Presenters

• Corner Brook October 16^th – 4:00 pm  Glynmill Inn

– 18 Confirmed Presenters

Confirmed presenters, all of which have been  contacted by the Panel to ensure that the Review Panel has their most recent and updated written submission,  will be provided up to 10 minutes to highlight the key and salient points in their submissions and the Panel may take up to 10 minutes to ask any clarifying questions. Presentations will be held in alphabetical order.

As time permits in a session, any members of the public who attend these sessions and who wish to present to the Panel (walk-in presenters)  will be given up to 5 minutes for their presentation and the panel may take up to 5 minutes to ask any clarifying questions. These walk-in presentations will take place following the confirmed presentation and will be in the order of registration.  Individuals who wish to avail of the opportunity to do a walk-in presentation are asked to come to the session at 3:30pm on the day of the session to register their interest.  Note that the number of confirmed presenters at the session in Corner Brook is high and it is unlikely that there will be time in that session for walk-in presentations.

• In addition to the Public Consultation Sessions, a number of Groups and Individuals have requested to meet the Panel in face-to-face to meetings. Over the upcoming weeks the Panel will be holding  8 face-to-face groups meetings.

The Panel is appreciative of the very significant, thoughtful and respectful input that it has received to date and for the cooperation that has been extended by various individuals and groups, particularly in Western Newfoundland, to help ensure that the overall consultation process (ie. written submissions, public consultations and meetings)  is helpful to the Panel and to the individuals/groups who have taken the time to engage with the process.
 

Public Consultations

Details for the Public Consultations are listed below:

All Sessions will be held be starting at 4:00 PM

• October 13^th, 2015           –              Rocky Harbour – Fisherman’s Landing Inn
• October 14^th, 2015           –              Stephenville – Day’s Inn
• October 15^th, 2015           –              Port au Port East – Maria Regina Parish
• October 16^th, 2015           –              Corner Brook – Glynmill Inn

July 9, 2015 Update

Based on a review of the information under consideration by the Panel as of June 1, 2015, the Panel has decided to provide the following updates to the Scope and Questions to be considered under the Terms of Reference:

Definition of Hydraulic Fracturing:  For the purpose of the work of the Panel, the term “hydraulic fracturing” is an all-inclusive term that includes exploration (e.g. seismic, magnetic, drilling of exploratory wells), infrastructure development (e.g. access roads, drill pads), transportation and storage (pipelines and tankage at ports), drilling and well development, well completion and stimulation using hydraulic fracturing technology, production and re-stimulation, and well decommissioning and site restoration.

Public Health: The Terms of Reference are clear in mandating the Panel to consider how “our communities and environment are protected”. For further clarity, the Panel has added the topic of Public Health to its scope of consideration.  The Panel will assess the potential impacts on public health from hydraulic fracturing operations.   This may include identifying likely effects of hydraulic fracturing on the health of individuals and communities. The Panel will identify ways in which public health risks might be mitigated.

Potential Questions:

• What are the risks to public health that might occur through hydraulic fracturing and well operations such as release of toxic substances into ground and surface water or effects on air quality from airborne substances released during the activities?

• What are the risks to public health that might result from the short-term phase of development and fracturing such as fluid spills, air contamination, vehicular traffic, injuries, noise, infectious disease and other factors that might occur during the development phase of this industry?

• What benefits might accrue to the health of individuals and communities through increases in incomes and in wealth generated as a result of fracturing and subsequent well operations?

• What actions/regulations/best practices can be applied to hydraulic fracturing activities to understand and/or mitigate against risks to public health?

Wellbore Integrity:  Under the Wellbore Integrity topic area the Panel will also consider the question “How will energy wells be permanently decommissioned so as to reduce the probability of slow gas migration developing in the future?”

Site Restoration: Under the Site Restoration topic area the Panel will consider restoration beyond the immediate well site.   This will include access roads (e.g. potential erosion in the future), local treatment facilities, pipelines, pipeline terminals and tank farms for transshipment, and other associated surface infrastructure and facilities.  It is recognized that some of the infrastructure (e.g. roads) may have residual value to the local communities.

June 30, 2015 Update

Based on the requests by individuals and groups to present to the Panel at public consultation sessions, the Panel is planning to hold four (4)  public consultation sessions from October 13-16, 2015  in Corner Brook,  Stephenville, Bonne Bay and Port au Port East.  The dates, times and locations of these public consultation sessions will be announced on this web site by September 1, 2015.  Prior to that date, the Panel will also be in contact with the individuals/groups that have requested to make a presentation with further details about the sessions.

A number of individuals and groups have requested face-to-face or teleconference meetings directly with the Panel.  The Panel  will be also in contact with those individuals and groups over the next several weeks to coordinate these meetings.

Based on the timing of the public consultation sessions and meetings, the Panel anticipates completing its work by February 1, 2016.

April 15, 2015

The Panel will gather information relevant to its mandate through direct sourcing of documents/reports and through submissions by individuals, groups and organizations that wish to provide input to the Panel. Details about how to submit input to the Panel or to request a meeting with the Panel can be found on the Make a Submission to the Panel section of this web site.

This web site provides a mechanism for making written submissions to the Panel and for requesting face-to-face or teleconference meetings with the Panel.  Following a 45-day period for submission of information to the Panel, the Panel will be available for meetings with those who request to meet face-to-face or via teleconference with the Panel in order to provide a brief review of their written submission. The Panel also reserves the right to seek clarification of any submission.  As the Panel receives submissions or identifies relevant reports/documents, the Documents Under Consideration by the Panel section of this web site will be updated to make all documents under consideration by the Panel widely available to the public.

In addition, after July 15, 2015 the Panel will hold public consultation sessions in Stephenville and Corner Brook where those who request to present to the Panel publicly will have an opportunity to do so.  Priority for meetings with the Panel or to present at the public consultation sessions will be given to those that request by June 1, 2015 to present a summary of their written submissions to the Panel. A schedule of all meetings will be confirmed and posted after June 1, 2015 on this web site once the Panel has had an opportunity to review the submissions and requests to meet/present.

Once the Panel has completed its review of the submissions and considered the topics identified in its Terms of Reference to the Panel, the Panel will prepare its report and submit it to the Minister of Natural Resources and it will subsequently release the report publicly on this web site.