Science Response 2019/035

Review of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Husky Exploration Drilling Project

Context

The Proponent, Husky Oil Operations Limited (Husky), proposes to conduct exploration drilling activities on the Grand Banks within the area of its offshore exploration licences (ELs). The ELs are located approximately 350 km east of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). The Project is a multi-well exploration drilling program and would include up to ten wells to be drilled between 2019 and 2027.

The Project requires review and approval pursuant to the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 2012) as it has been determined that the drilling of a well constitutes a designated project under Section 10 of the Regulations Designating Physical Activities. In addition, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) requires a project-specific environmental assessment (EA) be completed for offshore oil and gas activities, pursuant to the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act and the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act (the Accord Acts). It is intended that the EA review process for the Project will satisfy the requirements of CEAA 2012 and the C-NLOPB's Accord Acts EA processes. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) have been prepared in accordance with requirements of CEAA 2012, the project-specific Guidelines for the Preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS Guidelines [CEA Agency 2016]) issued by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency), and other generic EA guidance documents issued by the Agency as referenced throughout.

On October 18, 2018, the Fisheries Protection Program of the Ecosystems Management Branch in the NL Region of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) requested that Science undertake a review of specific sections of the EIS for the proposed exploration drilling. DFO Science undertook a Science Response Process for this review. The information from this scientific review will be provided to Ecosystems Management to help form part of the Department's response to the overall adequacy of the EIS documents.

The objective of this review was to evaluate:

• The sufficiency of baseline data and appropriateness of methodologies to predict effects;
• The mitigation measures proposed by the Proponent;
• The level of certainty in the conclusions reached by the Proponent on the effects;
• The manner in which significance of the environmental effects, as they pertain to DFO's mandate, have been determined (i.e., the scientific merit of the information presented and the validity of the Proponent's methodologies and conclusions);
• The follow-up program proposed by the Proponent; and
• Whether additional information is required from the Proponent to complete the technical review.

The information required for this review can be found in a number of sections throughout the EIS reports, and associated appendices. The EIS reports are available on the Agency's website.

This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of November 8, 2018 on the Review of the Environmental Impact Statements for the Husky Exploration Drilling Project.

Science Response 2019/035 (PDF, 000 KB)