Any person who wants to construct, operate or reclaim any of the following sorts of plants facilities in Nova Scotia:

Chemical:

• chemical manufacturing plant
  
• fertilizer manufacturing plant
  
• fertilizer storage facility
  
• explosives manufacturing plant
  
• pesticide manufacturing plant
  
• petrochemical manufacturing plant
  
• coke or carbon manufacturing plant
  
• brine processing plant (salt plant)
  
• pharmaceutical manufacturing plant
  
• paint manufacturing plant
  
• industrial cleaners manufacturing facility (degreasers, strippers, bleaches, etc.)
  

Construction:

• building products manufacturing plant (asphalt shingles, gypsum board, bricks, etc.)
  
• Portland cement plant
  
• asphalt paving plant
  
• stationary ready-mix concrete plant
  
• pit
  
• quarry
  
• topsoil removal greater than 1 hectare
  
• sulphide bearing material disposal (slate disposal)
  

Food or Fish and Animal By-Products:

• rendering plant
  
• poultry integrated plant
  
• red meat integrated plant (slaughter house)
  
• inland fish processing plant
  
• tannery
  
• vegetable processing plant
  
• fruit processing plant
  
• distillery
  
• brewery or winery
  
• fish meal plant
  
• fish silage operation
  
• dairy
  
• food additive or supplement manufacturing plant
  

Metals:

• electroplating plant
  
• foundry
  
• smelter
  
• iron and steel mill
  
• pewter manufacturing facility
  
• battery manufacturing plant
  
• rolling stock manufacturing plant (railcars, buses, trucks, automobiles, etc.)
  

Minerals:

• lime plant
  
• coal processing plant
  
• mineral processing plant (mill)
  
• surface mine
  
• underground mine
  
• peat moss harvesting
  
• in-situ leach mining
  
• bulk sample removal
  
• bulk solids handling loadout facility
  

Oil and Gas:

• oil refinery
  
• re-refinery
  
• natural gas processing plant
  
• brine storage pond
  
• compressor and pumping station
  
• bio-remediation treatment facility
  
• used oil collectors
  
• sale or storage of motive fuels
  
• a bulk petroleum storage facility
• petroleum or natural gas exploration or recovery
• liquified natural gas plant
• deep well injection for disposal of waste associated with petroleum or natural gas
  

Wood Products:

• pulp mill
  
• paper mill
  
• wood preservative treatment plant
  

Primary Manufacturing:

• textile mill
  
• tire manufacturing plant
  
• wallpaper manufacturing plant
  

Power Plant:

• power plant (hot water, steam, thermal electric)
  

Services:

• treatment or processing of wastewater or wastewater sludges
  

Biotechnology:

• biotechnology products manufacturing plant
  

Miscellaneous:

• application to land of non-livestock generated wastes
  
• industrial incinerator
  
• industrial landfill
  
• industrial composting facility
  
• crematorium
  
• cemetery
• managing steel and coke facility contamination
• lead crystal glass manufacturing

Nova Scotia Environment

Any Regional or District Office of Environment

OR

Head Office
Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change

Phone:  902-424-3600
Fax:  902-424-0501

You can get an application form for this Approval from any Regional or District Office of the Department.  After it has been completed, it is submitted to the Department.

When the Department receives an application, staff review it to see if all the required information is on the form, and if the required supporting information has been provided.  If not, the application package is returned with an explanation as to what is missing.

Once an application has been accepted by the Department as complete, the application form and supporting documentation undergo a technical review and evaluation.   This is to decide if the activity being proposed meets the minimum standards, policies, guidelines, procedures and regulations that are administered by the Department.

If an applicant fails to meet these criteria, staff will tell them which specific criteria have not been met to the satisfaction of the Department.

If an applicant meets all the criteria, the Department will issue an Approval.  This Approval will list any terms and conditions which the applicant must satisfy.

60 business days or less

Provided that all the items that must accompany the application have been received

This Approval is usually valid for up to 10 years from the date it is issued.  It can be renewed, and the renewal period is usually 10 years from the date it was due to expire.  It is the responsibility of the Approval holder to start the renewal process; no notice is sent by the Department.  The renewal process should be started at least 90 days before the Approval expires.

Category 1:  $8,625.15
Category 2:  $3,317.35
Category 3:  $1,326.95

In some counties, a development agreement is required from the municipality .

Some activities require an Environmental Assessment Approval prior to the issuance of an Industrial Plant / Facilities Approval.

Since some activities only require approvals based on size, location, etc., the Activities Designation Regulations should be checked for such qualifiers.

Activities generating only a liquid effluent, which is discharged to a municipal wastewater facility approved by the Minister or Administrator, and in accordance with any applicable municipal sewer Bylaw, do not require an approval.

Environment Act, Statutes of Nova Scotia, 1994-95, Chapter 1, Activities Designation Regulations