On March 16, 2021, British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority (BC Hydro) requested an amendment under Section 32(1) of the Environmental Assessment Act to allow for the implementation of a contingency truck hauling plan. The contingency plan, if approved, would allow for BC Hydro to haul material from the 85th Avenue Industrial Lands to the Site C dam site area as a backup, if BC Hydro experienced a downtime of more than three consecutive days.
On July 7, 2022, the PRRD was notified by the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) that the EAO’s Deputy Chief Assessment Officer had issued their decision to grant BC Hydro’s amendment request.
The PRRD has advocated for BC Hydro and the EAO to implement a thorough and paced review process that considers all meaningful input and research, since the Board of Directors first learned of the contingency plan in January 2021. In addition to participating with the EAO’s process for review, Chair Brad Sperling lobbied for EAO-led public engagement sessions to keep concerned residents informed of steps in the overall process.
The hauling amendment is part of the Environmental Assessment (EA) Certificate # E14-02 (Certificate) to British Columbia Hydro and Power, issued on October 14, 2014.
The full history of correspondence concerning the hauling amendment is as follows, with documentation also included below. The details of the EA Certificate can also be viewed on the EAO’s Project Information and Collaboration (EPIC) website.
- July 7, 2022: EAO’s decision letter
- April 28, 2021: Botterell Law Corporation letter, feedback on the draft work plan
- February 9, 2021: EAO response to PRRD’s February 3 letter
- February 3, 2021: PRRD letter to BC EAO office requesting fair consideration of input
- January 28, 2021: PRRD letter to BC Hydro concerning proposed truck hauling plan
