Reflections of an environmental assessment panel member

Abstract

This article documents my personal recollections and reflections on being an environmental assessment panel member. While I have served on five different panels, the main focus is on that for the Alberta-Pacific Pulp Mill, proposed for, and subsequently constructed in, central Alberta, Canada. Rather than investigating the impacts of the pulp mill and the findings of the panel, which are well documented elsewhere, the article deals with my personal reactions to aspects of the review that still stand out in my mind a decade later. These include memories of the people who presented information to the panel, frustrations with the long and sometimes difficult hours of hearings, enjoyment of exciting and different ideas given to the panel by a very diverse group of participants, and, most of all, the times and ideas shared with other panel members.

Keywords:

• environmental impact assessment panel
• Alberta
• pulp mill