Civ440 Midterm

Front 1

Define Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Back 1

Regulatory process for assessing the environmental impacts of a proposed PROJECT. E.g. Keystone XL

Front 2

Define Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Back 2

Method for assessing environmental impacts at each stage in the life cycle of a PRODUCT. E.g. gasoline

Front 3

List examples of downstream impacts (5)

Back 3

1) Wildlife 2) Wetlands 3) Fish 4) Ground water 5) Local communities

Front 4

What does NEB stand for?

Back 4

National Energy Board

Front 5

What are upstream impacts?

Back 5

Upstream stage involves exploration, appraisals, and production. Issues such as accidental spills, blow-out, operational discharge, atmospheric emissions, extraction, upgrading, crude transport, refining, refined transport, distribution, construction.

Front 6

Describe Keystone XL events

Back 6

NEB approved project, but did not take into account upstream negative impacts in EIA. Concluded that since not supplying or shipping oil, not dangerous. Harper believes good for economy. Obama will only approve if upstream emissions reduced and rerouting to avoid aquifer. Low opposition in Canada, no Review Panel required.

Front 7

Describe gasoline LCA

Back 7

Surface mining and in situ stream extraction are very energy intensive methods to obtain gasoline compared to conventional oil extraction.

Front 8

What does CCS stand for?

Back 8

Carbon Capture Storage

Front 9

What is Carbon Capture Storage (CCS)? Describe the cost trends.

Back 9

Carbon dioxide is captured, transported, and stored underground in depleted oil and gas fields or deep saline aquifer formations several km below earth's surface. Technology cheaper than subsidized renewables, but still remains prohibitive. Cost declines as technology matures and becomes commercial. Expected to decline to price paid for carbon offsets.

Front 10

What is Enhanced Oil Recovery?

Back 10

CCS project that uses CO2 to increase oil recovery. Oil wells close to depletion can have production increased by 10% by injecting CO2 to increase oil recovery

Front 11

Carbon Capture in Canada

Back 11

Storage basins are formed of sedimentary material, conveniently located by oil fields. Vast amount of potential storage basins in Canada. Enough to contain all emissions from oil and gas industry. Most suitable: petroleum, electricity, mining/manufacturing. Unsuitable: residential/commercial, agriculture, industry and personal transport. Large growth potential.

Front 12

Carbon Capture Projects in Canada (5)

Back 12

Leader in CCS (4th in the world). 1) Shell Quest (storage) 2) Enhance Pipeline (EOR) 3) Swan Hills Synfuels (EOR) 4) SaskPower Boundary Dam (EOR) 5) Weyburn (EOR)

Front 13

Describe Shell Quest Project

Back 13

Scotford oil sands upgrader used to turn bitumen into crude. In-situ steam extraction produces 22% more emissions than conventional methods. Goal to capture 35% of emissions and bury in deep saline aquifer. Shell inject CO2 2km underground into deepest saline aquifer in Alberta under Basal Cambrian Sands (BCS). Stakeholders: Shell, public, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, Stantec.

Front 14

What are carbon offsets?

Back 14

A reduction or removal in GHG emissions from a project that features a new management practice, technology, and/or control system. Regulated firms can buy verified emissions reductions of greenhouse gases from voluntary actions arising from unregulated activities (e.g. offset projects in Alberta). 1M tons C/yr = $14M/year in savings

Front 15

The 6 Steps of an EIA

Back 15

1) Screening

2) Scoping baseline assessment

3) Predicting environmental impacts

4) Determining whether such impacts are significant

5) Developing a plan for managing significant impacts

6) Monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts

Front 16

Describe the EIA Federal screening process

Back 16

Proponent submits project description. List based screening, threshold size consideration. 45 days after posting agency must assess:

1) Description of designated project provided by proponent

2) Determination of potential adverse environmental effects

3) Public commentary within 20 days of posting

4) Make a decision if EIA required and what type

Front 17

Describe the EIA scoping and baseline assessment

Back 17

Determine scope of factors to be considered, focus on valued environmental components (VECs), determine size of Local Assessment Area (LAA): atmospheric environment, air quality, sound quality, groundwater resources, aquatic environment, terrestrial environment: soils + terrain, vegetation + wetlands, wildlife + wildlife habitat, archaeological and heritage resources, land use, current use of land, socio-economics, public health and safety

Front 18

Describe the EIA impact prediction

Back 18

Divide the project into different components in order to designate specific ranks for potential adverse environmental impacts. E.g. capture infrastructure, pipeline, storage

Front 19

Describe determination of significance of impacts

Back 19

Once impacts predicted, they are reviewed to determine which ones are significant. E.g. local loss due to construction of pipeline

Front 20

Describe plan development to manage significant impacts

Back 20

The impacts determined to be significant have mitigation strategies applied to them in order to lessen negative outcomes. E.g. transplanting or seeding of rare plants located in disturbance area.

Front 21

Describe monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts

Back 21

Follow-up and monitoring of mitigation effort required. E.g. rare plant transplantation and subsequent success monitoring for 3 years.

Front 22

Name the 3 responsible authorities for assessing projects in Canada

Back 22

1) Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (Nuclear Projects)

2) National Energy Board (Large Energy Projects) - pipeline, power plant, etc.

3) Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (all other projects)

Front 23

What are the designated physical activities for a project to be considered for EIA?

Back 23

Power plants, transmission lines, dams, mines, offshore wells, pipelines, refineries, hazardous waste facilities, airports, railways, highways (above a certain threshold)

Front 24

What are the time frame targets for the EIA process?

Back 24

2 months - Screening and Scoping baseline assessment

1 year - Predicting environmental impacts, determining whether such impacts are significant, developing a plan for managing significant impacts

Monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts

Front 25

Types of Assessments in Canada (Federal)

Back 25

Regular project: 1 year complete

Sensitive Project: 2 years to complete

Project determined on case-by-case basis to be sensitive by Minister of Environment (Leona Aglukkaq). Sensitive Projects assessed by a Panel Review. Process involves significantly more public interaction than regular.

Front 26

Give an example of a sensitive project

Back 26

Northern Gateway Pipeline - Proposed pipeline to distribute land locked oil sands energy product to coastal refining facilities, significant public opposition of 29%, majority from first nations. Joint Review Panel comprised of biologist, NEB lawyer, and geologist from first nation. Panel review determined potential benefits outweight potential burdens and risks. Outside expertise required to decide. Caribou and grizzly effects were justified. Approval is conditional, JRP outlined conditions that must be agreed to before implementation (caribou do not like crossing pipeline, need to allow them to avoid predators)

Front 27

What were the conditions outlined by JRP for caribou and grizzlies

Back 27

Caribou: prepare pre-construction caribou habitat assessment, habitat restoration, offset measures plan, offset measure monitoring program. Report on caribou. Grizzly: develop and implement Linear Feature Management and Removal Plan that would include no net increase in linear feature density in sensitive areas, such as grizzly bear habitat. Monitor during construction, collaborate with provincial wildlife authorities, participate with Aboriginal groups and research organizations.

Front 28

Strengths of the Federal EIA legislation (Environmental Assessment Act)

Back 28

Enforceable conditions: $200,000-$400,000 fine. Public Participation Funding: provide funding thruogh a participant funding program to facilitate the participation of the public in the environmental assessment (attendants with direct local interest, community knowledge or relevant aboriginal traditional knowledge, expert information on effects) Cumulative Environmental Effects: must include past, current, and planned events. E.g. prior and future habitat loss. Includes future even after mitigation steps have been taken

Front 29

Weaknesses of the Federal EIA Legislation

Back 29

Projects only assessed if on list of designated activities above a certain threshold size. E.g. surface mining on list, but in-situ steam extraction is not which also ahs large carbon footprint. In previous act, factors were not limited to areas of Federal jurisdiction, included any potential environmental, social, or economic effect.

Front 30

Which governing body conducts Provincial EAs?

Back 30

The Ministry of Environment

Front 31

Describe the EA process at the Provincial level

Back 31

No list for "considered projects" or a threshold size. If EA required, conducted by Provincial Ministries/Agencies, Municipal Governments, Other Public Organizations, but not Private Sector Projects

Front 32

Describe process for a Regular Project Provincial assessment

Back 32

1 year to complete, account for 10% of total projects

3 months: screening and scoping/baseline assessment

8 months: predicting environmental impacts, determining whether such impacts are significant, developing a plan for managing significant impacts

Monitoring impacts and mitigation efforts

Front 33

Describe process for a Streamlined Project Provincial assessment

Back 33

0.5 years to completion, account for 90% of total project submittals.

Majority of projects pre-approved -predictable impacts. These include:

Transit: railway, bus terminal, GO

Transportation: highway, freeway, Ontario Ministry of the Environment

Electricity: transmission lines, transformers, Hydro One

Municipal infrastructure: roads, water, sewers, City of Toronto

Flood/erosion control: floodplain developments, Conservation Ontario

Screening is self-assessed, remaining steps reduced to 6 months

Front 34

Provide an example of a streamlined project

Back 34

Union-Pearson Express Train (diesel fuel instead of electric trains). Approved with lenient conditions: need to use newest technology for diesel fuel system

Front 35

Strengths of Provincial EA

Back 35

Not limited to defined project list or threshold size. Streamlined assessment is much faster than federal EIA

Front 36

Weaknesses of the Provincial EA

Back 36

Limited grounds for rejection/objection (e.g. Union-Pearson Express Train approved despite opposition to diesel trains). MOE can only reject a project/create restriction if it has "provincial implications". Assessment does not apply to private sector (if private project does not meet threshold size for Federal EIA, then no requirements apply). Window for fighting project in court is limited due to 6 month streamlined assessment

Front 37

Describe process of a Provincial Screening

Back 37

List-based for pre-approved projects. No threshold size consideration. Unlike provincial level, all projects must be reviewed. Minister of the Environment reviews projects that do not fall under the list. If project is not on pre-approved list, then it most likely requires a full EIA. Some projects may require both Provincial and Federal levels of government.

Front 38

Private sector projects environmental regulations

Back 38

Still must abide to other environmental regulations and legislation.

Front 39

Which governing body conducts Federal Level EIAs?

Back 39

Environment Canada

Front 40

What are the 8 scoping requisites? Use examples from the Northern Gateway Project

Back 40

1) Describe the purpose of the project and the need for it

2) Consider alternatives to the project

3) Delineate the spatial, temporal (construction, operations, and decommissioning periods), and jurisdictional boundaries

4) Identify what is at stake - VECs (valued ecosystem components: biophysical environmental and human)

5) Identify the stakeholders

6) Consult with the stakeholders

7) Identify potential impacts (malfunctions and accidents, construction and routine ops, societal and cultural impacts)

8) Conduct baseline surveys

Front 41

Name the 2 ways to predict biophysical impacts

Back 41

Qualitative and Quantitative

Front 42

What are the assessment steps for qualitative biophysical impacts (5)

Back 42

1) Identify potentially significant impacts (construction and operation)

2) Conduct baseline assessment

3) Select mitigation methods

4) Assess residual impact after mitigation (magnitude and reversibility)

5) Determine whether impact is significant

Front 43

Define eutrophication

Back 43

Excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen. Effect due to fertilizers, nitrogen, oil sands mining and upgrading, etc.

Front 44

Biophysical impact quantitative assessment steps (6)

Back 44

1) Identify potentially significant impacts

2) Select parameters and thresholds

3) Conduct baseline assessment

4) Select mitigation methods

5) Assess residual impact

6) Determine whether impact is significant

Front 45

What is the criteria for rating whether an impact is significant? (7)

Back 45

1) Direction

2) Magnitude

3) Geographical extent

4) Duration

5) Frequency

6) Reversibility

7) Ecological or socio-economic context

Front 46

What is a method used to model the impact of increased NOx emissions?

Back 46

Black box, input-output method

Front 47

What are the 3 steps in Human Health Risk Assessment?

Back 47

1) Exposure assessment: quantifying the potential amount or dose of each chemical received by humans through all relevant exposure pathways

2) Toxicity assessment: identify the potential adverse health effects associated with exposure, determine the maximum safe dose of the chemical for sensitive human subjects after exposure for a prescribed period

3) Risk assessment: comparing estimated exposures with exposure limits to identify potential human health risks

Front 48

What are the 3 impacts associated with Predicting Human Impacts?

Back 48

1) Health impacts

2) Socio-economic impacts (employment and income, infrastructure and services)

3) Costing non-economic impacts (ecosystem services, upstream and downstream impacts)

Front 49

What are economic multipliers? Where do they come from?

Back 49

In Keynesian economic theory, a factor that quantifies the change in total income as compared to the injection of capital deposits or investments which originally fueled the growth. Capture the impact of shocks to the economy on output, labour income, employment, and GDP. Generated by the I/O model for industries and commodities.

Front 50

What is an economic input/output model?

Back 50

I/O analysis has its foundations in analytical framework. An I/O model consists of a system of linear equations which represent how various industries' commodities are distributed throughout the economy.

Front 51

What are the two main factors to consider in a risk assessment?

Back 51

1) frequency

2) consequence

Risk = frequency x consequence

Inverse relationship between the two factors

Front 52

Methods in predicting socio-economic impacts? (4)

Back 52

1) Economic input/output modelling of the Alberta economy to determine effects of project on employment and provincial GDP

2) Labour market analysis to relate the construction workforce demands to availability of workers

3) RAA: Key respondent interviews and analyzes historical experience with industry projects to gauge capacity of education, health, police, and other responses to construction

4) Key respondent interviews construction and operation traffic issues

Front 53

What was the use of a hydrodynamic flood plain?

Back 53

Use I/O method, predicts amount of flooding for a hurricane magnitude event. Determine remedial flood protection project.

Front 54

What causes the increased flood risks due to urbanization and climate change?

Back 54

Urbanization: increase runoff, increase flow and erosion, increase in sedimentation.

Climate change: increasing storm intensities. Dredging can help decrease sedimentation, but this factor increases risk again.

Front 55

What are the two thresholds in flood mitigation in Ontario?

Back 55

1) Hurricane Hazel storm standard

2) 100 year flood event

Front 56

What are two flood Protection Projects in Toronto?

Back 56

1) West Don Lands

2) Port Lands

Front 57

What were the solutions used to address the Portlands Flood issue?

Back 57

Problem: Don Mouth engineered for transportation. Unaesthetic/unnatural river mouth, land vulnerable to flooding, high water conditions. Correct 1) shape that river follows 2) contour of river bed.

Solution: Keep the old channel and create new natural path (increase curvature radius) for river to follow and a large spillway for flood conditions. Dredging still required. High project cost, but worth it in long run

Front 58

What is a regulatory flood in Ontario?

Back 58

Province of Ontario currently uses rainfall from Hurricane Hazel centered over the Don Watershed to define limits of flooding.

Front 59

Describe the Port Lands Infrastructure Plan

Back 59

Master Plan addresses water, sanitary, storm water, and transportation infrastructure servicing necessary to support the proposed land uses, including new public spaces part of revitalization of Lower Don Lands area. Integrated treatment:

1) Source control: green roofs to retain, evapotranspirate, and improve quality of runoff 2) Conveyance control: biofiltration measures and oil/grit separators 3) End-of-pipe control: settling tanks and disinfectant treatment

Front 60

What are Municipal Class EAs (Master Plans)?

Back 60

Class EA Master Plans are long-range plans that integrate infrastructure requirements for existing and future land use with environmental assessment planning principles. Examines infrastructure system, group, or related projects in order to outline a framework for implementation of subsequent projects and developments with environmental protection and mitigation measures integrated in to project.

Front 61

What are the 5 phases of a Municipal Class Master Plan?

Back 61

1) Problem or opportunity

2) Alternative solutions

3) Alternative design concepts for preferred solution

4) Environmental study report

5) Implementation

Front 62

What is a green development scenario?

Back 62

Includes green infrastructure e.g. green roof, biofiltration in addition to settling tank. Green infrastructure increased infiltration, decreased run off, increasing TSS removal efficiency. Smaller holding tank required for settling. 90% TSS removal.

Front 63

What is a grey development scenario?

Back 63

Only includes non-green infrastructure e.g. just a settling tank to handle all run-off. 80% TSS removal.

Front 64

What does TSS stand for?

Back 64

Total suspended solids

Front 65

What is the difference between Master Plan EAs and Scheduled Projects?

Back 65

Master Plans are comprehensive and must go through all 5 phases, scheduled/smaller projects do not.

Front 66

What is the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) and which aspects (3) does it include?

Back 66

Simulates various aspects of the proposed development.

1) Hydrology: generation of stormwater runoff from various catchment surfaces in response to rainfall

2) Hydraulics: conveyance of stormwater through the major collection system and storage within facilities

3) Water quality: generation of pollutants from various catchment surfaces and subsequent routing in collection system and treatment facilities

Front 67

Describe Scheduled Projects

Back 67

A: normal or emergency operational maintenance activities

A+: pre-approved, public to be advised prior to project implementation

B: includes improvements and minor expansions to existing facilities

C: includes construction of new facilities and major expansions to existing facilities

Front 68

What were the risk assumptions Northern Gateway had made about a diluted bitumen spill?

Back 68

Diluted bitumen would float and could wash ashore within 15 days. Said that over time, the environment will recover to a pre-spill state, and most species will fully recover. JRP found dilbit is unlikely to sink as when fine sediments are suspended in water. However, in ocean conditions, high energy wave action mixes the sediments with diluted bitumen to form tar balls and will not wash ashore. Dilbit sinks in ocean.

Front 69

Disadvantages of railway oil transport

Back 69

- expensive

- more dangerous to humans

- larger spills

- higher risk of spillage

- not as easily monitored

Front 70

What are 6 ways the federal legislation ensures public participation?

Back 70

1) Adequate notice (specified timelines)

2) Provide access to information (online registry)

3) Allow fro public consultation and comment

4) Mandate aboriginal consultation

5) Fund participants in panel reviews

6) Hold hearings for panel reviews

Front 71

What 3 purposes does the Canadian Environment Assessment Act (CEAA) serve?

Back 71

1) To protect the components of the environment that are within the legislative authority of Parliament from significant adverse environmental effects caused by a designated project

2) To promote communication and cooperation with aboriginal peoples with respect to environment assessments

3) To ensure that opportunities are provided fro meaningful public participation during an environmental assessment

Front 72

What are aboriginal treaties? What is aboriginal title?

Back 72

Existing aboriginal treaty rights, including those contained in modern land claims agreements are constitutionally recognized and affirmed in the Constitution Act. Aboriginal title is a unique subset of Aboriginal rights, which the Supreme Court of Canada has defined as "a right to the land itself". It is a right that, where proven, provides for the exclusive use of the land, including a right to choose the uses to which the land can be put.

Front 73

What are the goals of a consultation?

Back 73

To provide the public with an opportunity to make suggestions after assessments have been completed. Input gained from consultation should lead to further assessment tasks to mitigate the issues determined (iterative process).

Front 74

Which 3 traditional land uses could the Northern Gateway Pipeline have an impact on?

Back 74

1) Harvesting

2) Habitation areas

3) Spiritual sites

Front 75

What are public hearings?

Back 75

In addition to consultations, hearings are required where conflicting views may be heard. These hearings may be collaborative or contentious. For larger projects, formal hearing is required.