The Role of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) in Energy Governance: A Case Study of Tidal Energy in Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy

Abstract

The article considers the role of strategic environmental assessments in improving decision making by government decision makers faced with the arrival of a new industry to its jurisdiction. It uses using the arrival of the in stream tidal energy industry in Nova Scotia as a case study. The article first considers the existing federal and provincial regulatory context for decisions about whether, where and under what conditions to approve tidal energy projects in the Bay of Fundy region. It then provides an overview of a strategic environmental assessment carried out on behalf of the province of Nova Scotia in 2007/2008, and assesses the outcomes of the SEA process. The article concludes with a critique of the tidal SEA process and outcomes based on criteria selected from current SEA literature.

Keywords: Strategic Environmental Assessment, SEA, Tidal Energy