Notice of Extension
Grassy Mountain Coal Project
Extension of Time Limit for the Submission of the Report by the Joint Review Panel

Ottawa — December 17, 2020 — The Governor in Council, under subsection 54(4) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, has extended by 135 days (4.5 months) the time limit for the issuance of the Decision Statement for the proposed Grassy Mountain Coal Project.

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change has allocated this time to the Joint Review Panel for the submission of its report. The Joint Review Panel must now submit its report no later than June 18, 2021. The Minister of Environment and Climate Change will have 150 days (5 months) following the receipt of the Joint Review Panel's report to issue a Decision Statement.

This action is further to a written request from the Joint Review Panel that the time limit be extended to facilitate the preparation of a robust report. The additional time will provide the Joint Review Panel with an adequate timeframe to effectively consider the volume and complexity of information on the record, and to address challenges related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), who is the partner jurisdiction in the assessment, is supportive of the timeline extension to ensure the Joint Review Panel has sufficient time to fulfill its responsibilities under provincial legislation.

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the CEO of the Alberta Energy Regulator have written the Joint Review Panel to inform it of the extension.

Document Reference Number: 980

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