Environmental Committee formed for McInnis Cement plant

Following a mediation session led by the Honourable Louise Otis, McInnis Cement, the CQDE (Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement), the CREGIM (Conseil régional de l’environnement Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine) and Nature Québec have agreed to the formation of an Environmental Committee that will be tasked with monitoring the environmental activities of the Port-Daniel-Gascons plant in Gaspé, Canada.

The mediation session also resulted in specific environmental commitments:

• McInnis Cement will invest $600 000 in feasibility/technical studies and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) over the next three years, including the use of biomass. The Environmental Committee will examine the possibility of implementing a mechanism for using surplus generated by emission rights into projects to reduce GHG.
• The plant will install SNCR technology to ensure compliance with NESHAP standards.
• To minimise the impact on aquatic fauna, the committee will follow up on the commitments made in a protocol signed with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

In addition to monitoring the issues outlined above, the committee will also focus on impacts on the physical environment, vegetation and wetlands, natural habitats and biodiversity, as well as the landscape. The committee will put forward recommendations regarding the plant’s compliance with all the environmental commitments that it has made.

The Environmental Committee will meet at least four times a year and report its activities to the plant’s Citizen Liaison Committee. Richard Loiselle will serve as an independent facilitator and the Honourable Jacques Blanchard will act as an independent mediator should disagreement arise.

The committee will be made up of eight members: two citizens from the plant’s impact zone (one of which is a member of the cement plant’s Citizen Liaison Committee), a representative of the CREGIM, a representative of Nature Québec, a representative of the CIRADD (Centre d’initiation, de recherche et d’aide au développement durable), a representative of the ZIP Baie-des-Chaleurs committee, a representative of the Conseil de l’eau Gaspésie-Sud, and a representative of McInnis Cement. A professional from the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change (MSDEFCC) will also be invited to attend meetings of the committee.

“We are pleased with the formation of this committee and the open-mindedness McInnis Cement has shown, particularly regarding measures to reduce GHG. It’s a collaborative undertaking that gives us the tools to ensure an effective and rigorous monitoring of environmental commitments concerning the cement plant, in the short, medium and long-term,” said Michel Bélanger, President of CQDE.

“The Environmental Committee will provide a permanent framework to discuss the environmental aspects surrounding our project. Its creation demonstrates our willingness to address environmental issues in a spirit of openness and dialogue that is respectful of the community in which the project will place,” added Christian Gagnon, CEO of McInnis Cement.

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/31032015/mcinnis-cement-environmental-committee-to-be-created-616/