Environmental Assessments
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The Agency has a responsibility to evaluate certain rail infrastructure projects in accordance with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) prior to exercising any power, duty or authority in relation to a project. Under the environmental assessment (EA) process the proponent, other federal authorities and interested parties may become involved.
An EA is a process to predict the environmental effects of a project before it is carried out and that:
- identifies possible environmental effects;
- identifies proposed measures to mitigate adverse effects; and
- predicts whether there will be significant adverse environmental effects, even after the mitigation is implemented.
For information on the filing requirements of an environmental assessment of a rail infrastructure project, see the Agency's Environmental Self-Assessment Handbook for Rail Infrastructure Projects. This handbook helps guide proponents and interested parties who are involved in an environmental assessment of a rail infrastructure project.
For information on environmental assessment scoping documents, see the Agency's Environmental Assessment Scoping Document. This document outlines a typical scope of an environmental assessment and was prepared in accordance with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA) requirement.
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency Publications also contain information about projects undergoing an EA pursuant to the CEAA.
To view the full terms and acronyms involved in environmental assessment documents, see the Agency's Environmental Assessment Terms and Acronyms.
