Keith Doucette, The Canadian Press »
Under changes announced Thursday, large biomass, biogas and clean fuel projects have been changed to Class 1 from Class 2, meaning they can be approved within 50 days. The more rigorous Class 2 assessment, which can take more than two years, is now reserved for projects such as pulp mills, cement plants, incinerators and large energy plants.
The government is also classifying small modular reactor projects, previously not covered by regulations, as Class 1, a designation that had previously been reserved for renewable projects involving wind, tidal and solar energy, as well as for biofuels, mines, quarries and alterations to large wetlands.