REGDOC-2.9.1 - Environmental Principles, Assessments and Protection Measures, Version 1.2

Environmental protection for nuclear facilities and activities is done in accordance with the
Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) and the regulations made under the NSCA. This
legislation includes provisions to ensure that licensees are meeting the CNSC’s mandate to
protect the environment and the health, safety and security of persons. The CNSC requires the
environmental effects of all nuclear facilities or activities to be considered and evaluated when
licensing decisions are made.
This regulatory document provides information to applicants and licensees on protecting the
environment and the health of persons, including:
- identification of facility or activity interactions with the environment and the public
- identification and mitigation of potential environmental effects associated with these
interactions
- design and implementation of effluent and emission release measures and of the
environmental monitoring measures to confirm or test the predictions and the actual effects
- periodic assessments of the environmental protection measures and the licensee’s
performance
In particular, this regulatory document describes:
- the CNSC’s principles for environmental protection
- for all nuclear facilities or activities that interact with the environment, the scope of an
environmental assessment (EA) and the roles and responsibilities associated with an EA
- the CNSC’s requirements and guidance to applicants and licensees for developing
environmental protection measures, including an environmental risk assessment (ERA) where
required, for both new and existing facilities or activities