The federal government is moving forward with regulatory changes that will exempt several energy projects, including interprovincial pipelines and transmission lines, from environmental reviews by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. Under the new regulations published in the Canada Gazette, these cross-border energy projects and offshore renewable initiatives will instead be evaluated exclusively by the Canada Energy Regulator. The government stated that the regulator possesses the necessary expertise to analyze environmental impacts on air, water, soil, wildlife, climate change, and species at risk. Additionally, certain oilsands extraction ventures and fossil fuel-fired power generating stations are being removed from the agency’s review list. While industry representatives welcomed the elimination of regulatory duplication, environmental advocacy groups criticized the move as a setback for climate progress and environmental safeguards.
Source: cbc.ca
