1. Significance + Greenhouse Gases in Impact Assessment Recent Experiences
Mike Murphy
Sandra Banholzer
Julia Kun
Sana Talebi
IAIA 2017 – Montreal, Quebec
April 5, 2017

2. Outline The Need to Consider GHGs in EIA Available Guidance Thresholds
Experiences with GHGs in EIA
The Way Forward
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3. mid-20th century” (IPCC 2015).
Introduction
“…anthropogenic GHGs …. extremely likely to be dominant cause ….of observed warming since the
mid-20th century” (IPCC 2015).
…those releases of GHGs = a significant adverse environmental effect on Earth’s natural climate
Any project that releases GHGs to the atmosphere needs to assess the potential impact in an EIA
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4. Objective …to assess the potential effects of GHGs from a Project
AND – help make a decision
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Hotel Industry Power Plant

5. Some Questions What is the environmental effect?
What is the boundary of the effects assessment?
Use both science + policy?
What is “significant”?
How does this work cumulatively?
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6. Available Guidance United Kingdom
“all new GHG emissions contribute to a significant negative environmental effect”
“…significance should be based on its net GHG impact”
IEMA Principle Series, 2009, 2010
Recommended:
to develop guidelines
change of behaviour of EIA practitioners
Hands and Hudson, 2016
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7. Available Guidance USA Federal – CEQ Draft Guidance Memo 2011
Advises federal agencies:
to reduce GHGs + adapt to CC
Clean Power Plan – re coal reduction
States
Western Climate Initiative
Have their own
Is this all about to change?
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8. Available Guidance Canada Effects of Project on Environment
Effects of Environment on Project
One project - cannot measure effect
Develop sector profile
Low, medium, high – re GHGs
Quantities, thresholds - not defined
Climate modeling - global + local (downscaling)
Consider policies and regulations of each jurisdiction
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (2003)
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9. …What to use in impact assessment?
Thresholds of GHGs
Wide range
Reporting
Verification
Scientific
Government
Practitioners
…What to use in impact assessment?
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10. On Thresholds of GHG Emissions
Canada
Large final emitters: > 100 kt/y CO2e
Low, medium, high = ??
USA
USEPA CFR Part 98: > 25 kt/y CO2e - reporting
South Coast AQMD: kt/y CO2e is significant
California, CEQ Act: kt/y CO2e …significant
(based on 10 million Btu/hr boiler on natural gas)
There is very little formal guidance on thresholds of GHG emissions,
…have not identified any legal thresholds
for example - how should the assessment be done, if the GHG emissions are a specific value.
But there are tidbits in the government guidance, some clear – some not so. Here we show thresholds from USA and Canada as an example.

11. Thresholds - Canada Jurisdiction Emission Targets Report and Verify
(kt/y)
Canada
30% below 2005 levels by 2030
Report – 50
Change ? – 10
British Columbia
80% below 2007 levels by 2050
LNG – 0.16 t / t LNG
Report – 10
Verify – 25
Alberta
Methane reductions from oil / gas by 45%, by 2025
Report – 50
Verify – 50
Ontario
37% below 1990 levels by 2030
Cap + trade – 25
Quebec
20% below 1990 levels by 2020
37.5% below levels by 2030
New Brunswick
35% below 1990 levels by 2030
Manage – 25
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12. Experiences Mining Hydroelectric Dams Petroleum Refining
Transmission Lines – Electrical
LNG Production, Pipeline
Upstream – Linear Facility
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13. Experiences Sector Valued Component Boundaries Thresholds used in EIA
Significant ?
Mining
Atmospheric Environment
Source – project development area
Effects – region, global
Low, medium, high
50 – 500 kt/y
No – in EIA
Govt ok
Hydroelectric Dams
GHGs
Source – watershed
100 – 1,000 kt/y
Yes in EIA… but the Panel said No
Petroleum Refining
Source – project development area or well to wheel
Yes in EIA
Electrical Transmission Lines
No interaction between Project and Environment
Sources - none
None
No statement in EIA
Liquefied Natural Gas – LNG
Source – project development area, + Upstream
Low, medium, high
Industry profile
provincial targets
Yes – in EIA
provincial agency agreed
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14. Experiences - Summary Assessment of GHGs in EIA: Not clear cut
The “effect” is not clear
Need to use both Science and Policy
New reduction targets are emerging
How to do it and the end result depends on:
the nature of the Project
the jurisdiction
The public, the Panel
Struggle – industry, public, government
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15. The Way Forward – in any Project
the environmental effects of the
Project on its own = rated not significant [Science]
…and,
Project acting cumulatively = rated as significant [Science]
In both cases, still need to consider policies [Policy]
(and regulations) of country, state, province
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16. The Way Forward - Thresholds
In light of above, practical thresholds are recommended to be:
Ranking
Project GHGs
(kt/y)
Low*
0 – 25
Medium
25 – 1,000
High
> 1,000
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* = the practical value, Not Significant

17. Thank you! …thoughts, questions? mike.murphy@stantec.com