Natural Resources Canada
2002/13
February 20, 2002


OTTAWA — Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) invites public comment on the draft scope document for the environmental assessment of the Port Hope Project.

The Government of Canada, through its designated proponent the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO), proposes to remediate contaminated sites and build two long-term low-level radioactive waste management facilities in the Municipality of Port Hope. The project is based on conceptual approaches proposed by the municipality and accepted by the Government of Canada as potential solutions for wastes at Port Hope in a legal agreement signed in March 2001.

The draft scope document lays out the terms of reference for the environmental assessment of the project. The environmental assessment will be conducted according to the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA).

The 30-day public comment period starts on February 25, 2002, and ends on March 26, 2002.

The responsible authorities for the environmental assessment — NRCan, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Fisheries and Oceans — will review all comments before finalizing the draft scope document. All comments received are considered public and will be placed on the public registry for the Port Hope Project.

Written comments on the draft scope document for the Port Hope Project should be submitted by March 26, 2002 to the following address:

Sharon Baillie-Malo
Uranium and Radioactive Waste Division
Natural Resources Canada
580 Booth Street, 17th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0E4
Tel.: (613) 947-4750
Fax: (613) 947-4205
E-mail: phai.irph@nrcan.gc.ca

Copies of the draft scope document and information on the Port Hope Project are available on NRCan's Web site at http://nuclear.nrcan.gc.ca and at the following locations:

LLRWMO Project Information Exchange
196 Toronto Road
Port Hope ON L1A 3V5
Tel.: (905) 885-0291
Toll-free: 1 866 255-2755
E-mail: info@llrwmo.org

Port Hope Public Library
31 Queen Street
Port Hope ON L1A 2Y8

Bowmanville Public Library
62 Temperance Street
Bowmanville ON L1C 3C8

Clarington Public Library, Clarke Branch
127 Church Street
Orono ON L0B 1M0

Clarington Public Library, Courtice Branch
2950 Courtice Road
Courtice ON L1E 2H8

Clarington Public Library, Newcastle Village Branch
50 Mill Street North
Newcastle Village ON L1B 1L4


For more information, media may contact:

Sharon Baillie-Malo
Environmental Officer, Uranium and Radioactive Waste Division
Natural Resources Canada
(613) 947-4750