CANADA (From news reports) -- The province delivered the terms of reference to Northern Pulp for the environmental assessment of its proposed $350 million new effluent treatment plant and mill transformation.

Those documents that will guide the two-year environmental assessment project do not include what the owner of the Abercrombie Point kraft pulp mill asked for: hard targets for air and effluent emissions.

"The (environmental assessment) process does not propose or identify specific effluent and emission limits," states the Department of Environment document announcing the terms of reference.

"It is up to the proponent, based on a full identification and evaluation of the potential impacts of the project, the capacity of the environment to handle these impacts, and any mitigations that would reduce them, to determine the overall impact of the project and recommend specific limits that a particular receiving environment can support. If, through the EA review, the proponent demonstrates that it can mitigate the potential impacts of a project without causing significant environmental or adverse effects, the project may receive an EA approval, with terms and conditions for the project, as required, to ensure that the environment is protected."

The Department of Environment also made public on Thursday the 1,779 pages of email submissions from individuals seeking to comment on Northern Pulp's proposed project and the 173 pages from organizations.

Opinions expressed in the submissions run the gamut from representatives of industry supporting Northern Pulp's plan to environmental groups, First Nations and private citizens concerned a restarted mill will have significant negative environmental affects.

Northern Pulp's $350 million revamp would include the addition of an oxygen delignification process that, along with other in-mill changes, will, according to the company, reduce the use of bleaching chemicals by 50 per cent, reduce natural gas use by 83 per cent and reduce water consumption by nearly half to 45,000 cubic metres per day.

According to the project descriptions, the investments would result in the mill having the lowest suspended solids of 20 similar chemical pulp mills in the country, fifth lowest biochemical oxygen demand and sixth lowest water usage.

On the air quality front, it promises an 80 per cent reduction from 2019 levels of sulfur emissions (so there will be no smell affecting surrounding communities), 75 per cent reduction in power boiler particulate, 70 per cent reduction of visible plumes, 50 per cent reduction in chlorine dioxide emissions and nine per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

A website, promised by the mill, will show real-time emissions and effluent quality data that is to be audited by a third-party firm.

Northern Pulp now has two years to file its environmental assessment for its proposed facility.

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