Energy Plan - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

Energy and Our Environment
In an increasingly environmentally–conscious world, we recognize that everything
we do impacts and affects our environment to some extent. We have a shared
obligation to make responsible decisions. Central to the health of our environment
are initiatives that will reduce air emissions, protect our land, water and wildlife,
promote energy conservation and efficiency, and result in sustainable energy
projects that balance development with protection of the environment.
Development of our clean,
renewable hydro and wind
resources will provide us with
the opportunity to reduce
air pollution in our province
and make a significant
contribution to the battle
against global climate
change.
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians enjoy a natural environment that would
be the envy of many people in the world, however, we do have environmental
concerns. Air pollutants from the United States and other parts of Canada affect
our air and water quality. GHGs emitted in this province from non-renewable
energy use in cars, furnaces, factories and thermal electricity generation plants,
like Holyrood, contribute to the world’s climate change challenge. These issues
also directly affect the health of our people and how we live.
Development of our clean, renewable hydro and wind resources will provide us
with the opportunity to reduce air pollution in our province and make a significant
contribution to the battle against global climate change.
We will continue to pursue the development of our oil and gas resources and use
proceeds from these projects to support the development of renewable energy
infrastructure that will enable us to have a sustainable clean-energy future.
At the same time, we will promote and facilitate increased energy efficiency
throughout the province’s economy. We will also maintain strict environmental
rules to minimize impacts on the environment from energy developments.
By 2020, we envisage a Newfoundland and Labrador that is both a highly efficient
consumer of clean energy, and a net producer of clean energy. Development of
our vast renewable energy resources in an environmentally sustainable manner
will bring lasting benefits to the people of this Province and ensure our place as
a net contributor to a healthier global climate.
Our Energy Plan builds on the initiatives outlined in the province’s 2005 Climate
Change Action Plan and introduces new actions to ensure that growth in the
energy sector and in the economy as a whole, does not come at the expense
of our environment. Instead, these actions must contribute overall to improving
the environment. The Climate Change Action Plan is discussed in more detail
in Appendix B.
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