Consultation on a Discussion Paper on a Ministerial Regulatory Proposal to Designate Offshore Exploratory Drilling East of Newfoundland and Labrador for Exclusion under the Impact Assessment Act

Thank you for your interest in this consultation on the Regulations Respecting Excluded Physical Activities (Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Exploratory Wells) that support the Impact Assessment Act (IAA).

The online consultation closed on April 30, 2020.

What are the Regulations Respecting Excluded Physical Activities (Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Exploratory Wells)?

These regulations codify mitigation and follow-up measures that proponents of offshore exploratory drilling projects must follow to be excluded from the impact assessment process under the IAA. The regulations also set out the area of application and information to provide to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada when proposing such a project.

Consultations

The Government of Canada published a Discussion Paper on a Ministerial Regulatory Proposal and invited the public to comment from March 4 to April 30, 2020. The Discussion paper was informed by the final report of the Committee for the Regional Assessment of Offshore Oil and Gas Exploratory Drilling East of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Outcomes of the consultation

The Government considered all comments received in finalizing the regulations. The Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement provides a summary of the comments received, as well as a detailed outline of any changes to the regulatory proposal.

What it led to

The Regulations Respecting Excluded Physical Activities (Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Exploratory Wells) came into force on June 4, 2020.