Premier dismissing concerns over NewPage deal

Premier Darrell Dexter is dismissing complaints from an environmental group that Nova Scotia has weakened its forest sustainability requirements.

The Ecology Action Centre says the deal to restart the Port Hawkesbury paper mill could allow logging on crown land, which it maintains was protected under the agreement with the mill’s previous owner.

“The nature of their criticism is unfounded,” Dexter told reporters following his cabinet meeting Thursday.

EAC claims a clause, altered in the deal, would let the mill drop its gold-standard Forest Stewardship Council certification.

The Premier argued that would only happen with provincial approval.

There are 89,000 hectares of Crown land in question.

Dexter said the only way it would potentially be logged, is if the province acquired enough Crown land to meet its 12 per cent preservation goal. If that happened, the Port Hawkesbury property in question could then be considered for logging, but not until after 2015.

“This is a distinction without a difference,” said Dexter, who argues the current deal with Pacific West Commercial is essentially the same as under the previous NewPage owners.

The deal to buy the mill was finalized Sept. 29 and this week began producing paper after a year-long shutdown.

“We are living up to the commitments we have made and we are providing leadership on the important issues associated with environmental sustainability,” he said. “I would just hope that the Ecology Action Centre would recognize that as they have done in the past.”

The concern was raised as the province readies itself for a trade dispute.

U.S. trade representative Ron Kirk says he will raise the issue of the province’s $124.5 million aid package to save the NewPage sale at the World Trade Organization.

State of Maine officials are calling the aid money an illegal subsidy.

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