REEF Notice of Determination:

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has determined that the proposed Ridley Island Energy Export Facility Project (REEF) footprint expansion is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

This determination was based on a consideration of the following factors:

• impacts on rights of Indigenous peoples;
• Indigenous knowledge;
• community knowledge;
• comments received from the public; and
• technically and economically feasible mitigation measures.

REEF was formerly known as the Vopak Pacific Canada (VPC) Project, which received concurrent determinations in accordance with the requirements of Section 67 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 from the Prince Rupert Port Authority and Transport Canada, and Section 82 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) from ECCC in November 2022. Mitigation measures taken into account for the determination for  the REEF footprint expansion include those proposed for the original Vopak Pacific Canada Project, found on the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office's Project Information Centre website: 2021.07.29_TAB_12.2-1_Summary_of_Mitigation_Measures_rev4_FINAL.pdf (gov.bc.ca). Further to the mitigation measures considered, management plans and component plans can be found at the following link: 2021.08.05_TAB_10.6-1_Summary_of_EMPs_rev3_FINAL.pdf (gov.bc.ca)

In addition to the mitigation measures found in the table linked above, the Proponent made additional commitments that ECCC  considered in their review, including:

• Reducing the footprint expansion from an initially proposed 11.7 ha to 8.6 ha due to Project refinements;
• Incorporating  the footprint expansion  in all management and follow-up plans established for the VPC Project; and
• Avoiding  vegetation clearing (i.e., trees above 2 m in height) within little brown myotis roosting habitat during the sensitive roosting timing window (early April to early November).

The mitigations presented in this list and/or within the original Vopak Pacific Canada Project do not relieve the Proponent from any obligation to comply with other legislative or other legal requirements of the federal, provincial, or local governments. Nothing in this document shall be construed as affecting what may be required of the Proponent to comply with all applicable legislative or legal requirements.

Therefore, ECCC may exercise any power or perform any duty or function to enable the project to be carried out in whole or in part.