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Home > Public Participation and Land Matters > Land Matters Consultation Initiative (LMCI) > LMCI Consultation Schedule > LMCI Meeting Summary - McCully Pipeline Landowners Association - 14 April 2008

14 April 2008
Sussex, New Brunswick

NEB Attendees:

Karla Reesor
Dana Cornea
Margaret McQuiston
Lesley Matthews

Landowner Attendees:

Landowners and
community representatives
in the Sussex area

Agenda:

Key Messages:

It is difficult to find knowledgeable advocates (legal and otherwise) in a rural setting
Stakeholders are not all equal - there is an uneven playing field.
There are some impacts that cannot be mitigated and are irreversible (e.g., the loss of a clean source of drinking water) and should dictate that projects be denied. For some types of environmental effects, avoidance through design/routing must be considered before mitigation measures are discussed.
For many types of projects, there is a puzzle of federal, provincial, and municipal permits and regulations that could apply. This can be confusing for the public and landowner to understand which regulations could assist in protecting their interests.
Facilities in New Brunswick are located in rock and so removal of a pipeline at the end of its life would leave a scar that could cause issues later.
Funds should be set aside for abandonment at the beginning of a project.
Some landowners or members of the public would like to be involved in the project throughout its lifecycle, but would need funding to participate in monitoring or consultation.

Possible solutions:

Anonymous reporting of spills or suspicious activities should be available.
NEB should be involved in and possibly conduct its own consultations on projects seeking approval.
NEB should actively enforce its regulations for all parties equally.
Companies could be directed to employ an advocate for landowners for the life of the project who is trusted by landowners. This person would challenge the companies and liaise with government departments on landowners' behalf, and could also be a source of information for the landowners and the public.
Identify and avoid projects that have irreversible impacts.
Liaison committees should hold public meetings and have regulator, government and first responder (emergency response) representation to keep the company honest.
Farm, forestry and planning organizations are good vehicles for the NEB to use to disseminate information to landowners.
Need to be able to compel companies to undertake abandonment.

Questions for follow-up:

How will easement agreements influence future abandonment planning?
Will the damages caused by abandonment activities be compensated?
Who owns the abandoned facilities - could the landowner remove the pipeline themselves?