May 26, 2020

NEIA’s Executive Director, Kieran Hanley, outlines the contribution that Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil and gas industry can make to Canada’s clean growth objectives during a provincial news conference today.

View a video of Hanley’s remarks, or read the transcript, below.

Transcript:

Canada’s economic recovery is going to be tied to clean growth, and we need your ideas to make sure NL is ready

It is a safe bet to assume that Canada’s economic recovery efforts are going to be attached in some shape or form with clean growth.

This means that initiatives and projects that are tied to climate change mitigation, sustainability, environmental technology, clean energy, etc. are going to play a significant role in efforts to stabilize the economy – with a view to help Canada reach its target of net zero emissions by the year 2050.

Newfoundland and Labrador has to be ready to establish priorities that are line with these objectives.

The Smart Prosperity Institute has outlined to decision-makers at the Federal level what it believes to be the three ingredients for initiatives in support of a ‘resilient recovery’: (1) does the measure stimulate timely, lasting economic benefits and jobs?; (2) does the measure help the environment and support clean competitiveness; and (3) is the measure equitable, implementable, and feasible?

The spirit of these recommendations are being echoed by other influential organizations like the Pembina Institute.

We need to be keenly aware of this perspective in Newfoundland and Labrador so that we make this most of the opportunities associated with economic recovery. As we try to climb out of the hole that we find ourselves in, NEIA and its members believe that embracing the clean growth approach can go a long way in both supporting our existing industries that have been hammered, and in stimulating the long term economic diversification of our economy.

Looking for your input

NEIA has been hard at work developing a series of clean growth ideas and proposals for decision-makers to consider. We are looking for your ideas – no matter how big or small – on specific projects or broad initiatives that can help up our province succeed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic… both in the short and long term.

Please contact me directly with your ideas at kieran@neia.org. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Time is of the essence.

Best,

Kieran Hanley
Executive Director
NEIA

For Immediate Release
April 20, 2020

The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is welcoming a commitment from the Government of Canada to help address greenhouse gas emissions emanating from the province’s offshore oil and gas industry.

“As the global urgency to curb climate change intensifies, as does pressure on Canada’s natural resources industries to take action,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “The oil and gas industry has a crucial role to play in being part of the solution towards reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.” Hanley said that jurisdictions that excel in this regard will gain a competitive advantage, “and it is incumbent on us to ensure we are among the best in the world.”

On Friday, the Federal Government announced a new repayable loan program to work with oil and gas companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. This is in response to the crushing effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the industry. $75 million is specifically allocated to the offshore sector, with a portion being convertible to grants.

Hanley said that a strategic focus on continuous improvement in environmental performance in the industry presents the province with new economic growth potential. “The development and application of clean technology products and services within offshore oil and gas is an opportunity for the growth and diversification of our supply chain here in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“We are starting from an excellent position,” said Hanley, noting that from a greenhouse gas perspective the province performs well internationally. “We also have a world-class cluster of firms here in Newfoundland and Labrador with leading edge technologies that assist in the characterization and monitoring of the environment.” Hanley said these are important building blocks from which the province can build to become a global leader in the research, development, and commercialization of products and services that contribute to a more sustainable offshore oil and gas industry.

“Our offshore operations are vital to our economy right now, and the past couple of months have been devastating,” said Hanley. “The industry needs support and, from NEIA’s perspective, using some of that support to drive activity and innovation from a greenhouse gas perspective will help ensure that the industry is a sustainable one for Newfoundland and Labrador for years to come.”

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

March 25, 2020

This week the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) participated in a national initiative with its cleantech and environmental services counterparts across the country to understand the challenges being faced by their businesses and what their immediate needs are during this COVID-19 crisis.

NEIA members were each provided the opportunity to give feedback on a wide range of challenges and potential measures to address them.

The message from NEIA’s membership was clear: they are most concerned about how they are going to manage to keep their employees on the payroll. Whether supports be through increased payroll subsidization, payroll tax relief, or the restructuring of existing programming, NEIA’s members need to be able to retain the talent that they have invested so heavily in.

In the coming days, NEIA will be engaging its provincial, federal, and industry partners with its findings and proposing pathways forward.

For Immediate Release
February 6, 2020

ST. JOHN’S (NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA), in partnership with Noia and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), held a workshop on Tuesday exploring international sustainability trends in the offshore oil and gas industry – and what they mean for the industry in this province.

“We know that the oil and gas industry is vital to Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy,” said Hanley. “It has driven exceptional research, development, and commercialization of technologies – providing for enormous business growth opportunities within the environmental sector, among many others.”

“But as the global urgency to curb climate change intensifies, as does the public pressure on the oil and gas industry to take action.” Hanley says that the trend is not going anywhere, and that in the months, years, and decades ahead it is only going to become more prevalent.

“This is a challenge for the industry, and our province – but it is also an opportunity,” said Hanley, noting that the world is going to increasingly demand a cleaner barrel of oil. “We are in a good position – from a greenhouse gas perspective we are performing relatively well – but we need to make a concerted effort to make sure that this remains the case into the long term.”

Hanley said this opens the door to the development and application of clean technology products and services within the industry that help improve its performance from an environmental perspective. “This is an opportunity for the growth and diversification of our supply chain here in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Tuesday’s workshop included presentations from two world-class speakers in Peter Tertzakian (Executive Director of the ARC Energy Research Institute) and Gareth Wynn (Stakeholder and Communications Director with OGUK). “We heard two important messages from these speakers,” said Hanley.

“First, the oil and gas industry has a crucial role to play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions – and those jurisdictions that excel in this regard will gain a competitive advantage.” Hanley noted that with global demand and supply both continuing to trend upwards, the industry must be viewed as part of the solution.

“Second, we can learn from other jurisdictions as we work to balance the oil and gas industry and environment here in Newfoundland and Labrador.” OGUK presented on the work the industry undertook in the UK to develop a plan to help it reach net-zero emissions by 2050. ”We need to work together to ensure we can continue to compete as the world moves to cleaner energy,” said Hanley.

Hanley said he hopes the workshop was just the beginning of the sustainability discussion within Newfoundland and Labrador’s oil and gas industry. “This is a very important pursuit in the interest of both the province’s economy and environment,” he said. “If we can continue to have evidence-based and forward-thinking discourse between stakeholders – there is much that we can accomplish together.”

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
709.237.8190
kieran@neia.org

For Immediate Release
January 22, 2020

(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) is supporting the provincial government’s work in establishing renewable energy as a regional priority for Canada.

Last week the Council of Atlantic Premiers agreed to ‘move forward in an expeditious manner on new clean, reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity generation, improving transmission networks, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region.’

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• Premiers Discuss Clean Energy Collaboration and Regional Priorities

“We support the Premier, the current Chair of the Council, in helping make this a priority for the region,” said Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “We haven’t scratched the surface yet on the renewable energy resources that we have in this province, and their development presents a significant opportunity for economic growth and diversification for Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“These clean energy resources can benefit the entire region, but the reality is that many of them are stranded,” said Hanley. “To facilitate their development, transmission infrastructure investments are going to be required and we were pleased to see the Council in agreement on that.”

Hanley says that NEIA and its members are looking forward to working with the provincial government in the development of a renewable energy plan for Newfoundland and Labrador. “Part of NEIA’s mandate is to help businesses from the province explore growth opportunities in global renewable energy industries,” he said, “so our members have worked on projects around the world – and have lots of experience and insight to offer on how we can grow this industry in our own backyard.”

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

Media Contact
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org
709.237.8190

For Immediate Release
December 5, 2019

St. John’s (NL) – Last month, ten (10) firms from Atlantic Canada returned from a NEIA-led business development mission to the Caribbean, including activities in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Granada, and the Bahamas.

“This is the seventh business development mission we have led into the region over the past five years,” says Abbie Lacey, NEIA’s Manager of International Business Development. “Our program, running since 2013, is comprehensive and has provided firms with a wide range of supports beyond just these missions,” explains Lacey.

Lacey says that a mission to market is one of the last steps for a firm participating in the program. “We help businesses acquire market intelligence specific to them to gain a better understanding of the need or opportunity relating to their products or services in the region,” she explains. “We then work with each firm to develop a strategy to pursue business in the most opportune areas, and do considerable work up-front to uncover and pre-qualify a series of potential partners for them in the region.” Only after this work has been done, says Lacey, is a firm ready to participate on an outbound mission.

Lacey says firms in Atlantic Canada are well positioned to engage in Caribbean markets. “The products and services developed in this region can work well in other island and rural coastal environments, such as those found in the Caribbean.” Lacey notes the region faces similar challenges such as the impacts of climate change, coastal zone erosion, distance from markets, and economies that are resource dependent. “Our province has a long history of trade with the Caribbean, and we are working to continue and deepen that tradition.”

NEIA’s Caribbean program will continue with a follow-up mission to the region in the Spring of 2020. Lacey is encouraging interested firms to get in touch. “Since the beginning of its program, NEIA has helped almost 30 firms develop strategies to enter Caribbean markets, and there have been some remarkable successes” she says. “Atlantic Canada has a long history of trade with the Caribbean, and we are eager to continue and deepen that tradition.”

NEIA’s international business initiatives in the region are a product of a continued collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Innovation, and Industry, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and Global Affairs Canada. “The provincial government, ACOA, and our Trade Commissioners have been strong partners in the pursuit of international business growth for our sector,” said Lacey. “We look forward to continued collaboration towards the diversification of the region’s economy through export and trade.”

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

On October 16th and 17th, the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) held its annual clean technology and green economy conference – Newleef – at the Holiday Inn in St. John’s, NL.

“This year we had three objectives with our conference,” said NEIA’s Executive Director Kieran Hanley. “First, we wanted to highlight some of the excellent work being done within a number of the province’s municipalities relating to climate change mitigation and adaptation.” Newleef featured organizers and participants in a number of projects funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, including one administered by NEIA, presenting on the forward progress being made in Newfoundland and Labrador’s communities. “It is quite remarkable how advanced these discussions have become within our municipalities, even compared to those we would have at this conference just a few short years ago.”

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The second focus of the conference was around the province’s electricity grid. “We spent a full day of Newleef talking about rate mitigation and how that translates into opportunity for industry in the form of electrification, energy efficiency, and things like conservation and demand management,” said Hanley. “And building from the work we have been doing this past year to identify opportunities for renewable energy growth in the province, we explored some of these opportunities in greater depth.” Hanley said the conference was intended to help stakeholders understand the context within which economic development could take place related to the electricity grid. “If stakeholders can find a way to row in the same direction on some of these things, there could be real opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador.”

This session featured a presentation from the Minister of Natural Resources Siobhan Coady which touched on the province’s priorities and commitments related to each of these subjects:

“Our third objective for Newleef was to highlight what we see as a world-class expertise in the characterization and monitoring of the environment in our province,” said Hanley, noting that Newfoundland and Labrador pushes well above its weight in terms of R&D, commercialization, and application of technologies in this space. “What is the state of the natural environment? How are our activities impacting that environment? And vice versa – how are nature and climate change impacting our built environments? These are are questions we are answering with lasers, satellites, radar, sonar – and it’s a story we need to start embracing and promoting.”

“Newleef is the one event during the year that brings environmental entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers, decision-makers, regulators, support agencies, and other stakeholders in the province together to engage each other on these important topics,” said Hanley. “It provides an opportunity for the clean technology and environmental services sector to explore emerging business opportunities, examine challenges and barriers related to that growth, and to celebrate its achievements over the past year.”

Hanley says the event was the culmination of many months work on behalf of NEIA’s staff – but relied on the support of its sector partners for its success. “Our Newleef conference would not have been possible without the contribution to the program from all of our presenters, and the support of our partners – including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation. NEIA looks forward to continuing its work to help drive the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

For a full summary of presentations and speakers at Newleef 2019, view the conference website at www.newleef.ca. NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
kieran@neia.org

For Immediate Release
October 10, 2019

(ST. JOHN’S, NL) – The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) has released a series of recommendations to support the growth of the province’s renewable energy sector.

“Our province is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, and when it comes to renewable energy we haven’t even scratched the surface,” says Kieran Hanley, NEIA’s Executive Director. “We believe there to be significant economic opportunity for this province associated with the development of our renewable energy assets”

Hanley says that NEIA’s publication “Untapped Potential in Our Natural Resources” is the culmination of a over a year’s worth of engagement with its membership and key industry partners. “We have a lot of home-grown expertise here in the province,” notes Hanley. “Our members have worked in renewable energy projects around the world, and have lots of experience and insight to offer on how we can grow this industry in our own backyard.”

Download the Recommendations

“There’s a bright future for renewable energy in Newfoundland and Labrador, but there are things that need to be done today to realize that potential.” Hanley says the publication explores both present and long-term opportunities for the sector in the province.

“What we need is an open discussion and a plan – a shared vision between industry and government on what our renewable energy future could and should be,” says Hanley. “In 2018 our provincial government committed to the development of such a plan, and NEIA is eager to get started; we look forward to working with our provincial partners in realizing a strategy for renewable energy growth in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Hanley will be presenting NEIA’s recommendations at its Newleef Clean Technology and Green Economy Conference next week in St. John’s (http://www.newleef.ca).

NEIA is a not-for-profit association of businesses that promotes the development of clean technology and the growth of the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. NEIA has over 200 members. More information can be found at https://neia.org.

Media Contact:
Kieran Hanley
709.237.8190
kieran@neia.org