Foothills West Path Delivery Pipeline Environmental Monitoring

*Long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum)*

CLIENT: TC Energy

AJM was contracted by TC Energy to provide environmental consulting services for the construction of the Elko and Yahk sections of the Foothills West Path Delivery natural gas pipeline in southeastern British Columbia (BC). The Elko and Yahk sections are approximately 32km and 12.5km in length, respectively, and are located in the mountains adjacent to the towns from which they are named. The technical scope of the services provided by AJM on these projects included:

Pre-construction wildlife sweeps (including migratory bird nest sweeps) on both the Elko and Yahk sections;

Raptor and owl nest sweeps on the Elko section;

Migratory bird nest mitigation guidance on both the Elko and Yahk sections;

Amphibian mitigation guidance and salvages on the Elko section;

Water quality monitoring on the Yahk section; and

Implementation of TC Energy’s Environmental Protection Plans.

AJM provided many field crews between these two projects at relatively late notice to ensure that the construction crews were able to proceed on schedule. The environmental services were conducted in accordance with accepted best practices and ensured compliance with relevant federal and provincial regulations (e.g., Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994, Migratory Birds Regulations 2022, Species at Risk Act 2002, and BC Wildlife Act 1996). AJM identified over 70 nests between the two sections, including provincially and federally listed species at risk, and implemented appropriate mitigations to ensure environmental compliance while enabling construction to progress. AJM also salvaged and relocated approximately 66,000 amphibians from the Elko section in 2022 and 2023. Both sections were able to proceed on schedule during the periods when AJM was contracted.

In February 2023, AJM expanded its scope on the Yahk section to also include water quality monitoring during the construction cleanup phase. This was requested by TC Energy due to the high quality of our wildlife consulting services on the project.

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Bleriot Ferry Rehabilitation Project

Jamac Painting & Sandblasting Ltd. (Jamac) retained AJM to provide environmental consulting for the Bleriot Ferry Rehabilitation Project near Munson, AB in 2023. Critical deliverables were to include:

• Environmental Construction Operations (ECO) Plan;

• Bird Management Plan (BMP), including a Wildlife Survey and Sweep of the area; and

• Weed Survey and Weed Infestation map.

AJM crafted an ECO plan compliant with current laws, regulations, permits, and the ECO Plan Framework. It covered all environmental aspects identified by the Environmental Risk Assessment, including Clubroot and Whirling Disease control methods, a Temporary Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, and a Bird Management Plan (BMP). The plan, once reviewed and revised in response to the Project administrator's feedback, included a Clubroot Management Plan adhering to Alberta Agriculture standards and a Whirling Disease protocol based on AEP guidelines.

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Pipeline Construction Monitoring - Foothills West Path Delivery (Turner Valley, Longview & Lundreck)

AJM was contracted by TC Energy in 2023 to provide environmental monitoring support for the construction of the Turner Valley, Longview, and Lundbreck sections of the Foothills West Path Delivery natural gas pipeline system in southwestern Alberta.

The scope of work provided by AJM included:

Early season raptor surveys to follow Restricted Activity Period (RAP) timing;
Pre-construction migratory bird nest sweeps;
Amphibian mitigation guidance and salvages;
Mountain Goat and Bighorn Sheep surveys and mitigation on Lundbreck; and
Assisting Environmental Inspectors with implementation of Environmental Protection Plans.

AJM assisted TC Energy in complying with the Migratory Birds Convention Act, the Alberta Wildlife Act, and Species at Risk Act. AJM implemented mitigations for many migratory bird species including two species listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA); the olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) and bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). AJM provided environmental support to support pipeline development while providing appropriate mitigations to meet regulatory requirements. Additionally, AJM aided TC Energy of implementation of the Environmental Protection Plan developed for this pipeline project. This project was a Canada Energy Regulator (CER) regulated project.