This notice is to advise the public of activities undertaken by Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment relating to the harmonization of the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) and Ontario Regulation 127/01.
The process of harmonizing these two emissions reporting systems began with the report "A Comprehensive Review of the Differences between the NPRI and O.Reg127/01" commissioned by the Environment Canada (EC)/Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) Joint Working Group, a summary of which is posted on Environment Canada's NPRI website. The EC/MOE Joint Working Group was established in 2001 to propose a one window reporting mechanism to further harmonize emission reporting for Ontario facilities.
The recommendations of the Working Group culminated in a proposal to harmonize the two systems. A Public Consultation on the proposal was provided from November 25, 2005 to January 01, 2006. To view that proposal see links below.
All comments received during the comment period were given full consideration by the Ministry of the Environment. In general, all respondents were supportive of the principle of harmonization.
The activity which is the subject of this notice is a continuation of the process initiated in 2001 to harmonize the two emissions reporting regulations.
Harmonizing Ontario and federal air emissions reporting systems will improve service to the public and industry. By working on one-window reporting with the federal government, industry and governments can save resources, avoid duplication and reduce the regulatory burden, without compromising on environmental protection.
The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) has harmonized the provincial and federal monitoring and reporting programmes through the following steps:
Environment Canada (EC) has included substances from Ontario's "Airborne Contaminant Discharge Monitoring and Reporting" regulation (O. Reg.127/01) that are of interest to EC into the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) after national consultation targeted for 2006 data (to be reported in 2007/08) and onwards.
In February 2006, MOE amended O. Reg.127/01 to reduce the contaminant list and remove some unnecessary reporting requirements. These changes applied to reporting of 2005 data (to be reported in 2006/07). All reporting by Ontario facilities, whether required under O. Reg.127/01 or NPRI, is now to the same "one-window" operated by Environment Canada.
At the time of the 2006 amendments, there were approximately 280 substances common in the Ontario and federal reporting systems. In addition, there were over 70 Ontario-specific substances not covered by the NPRI. The 2006 amendments to O. Reg.127/01 reduced these 70+ substances to the following 15 substances:
1. Total reduced sulphur
2. Calcium oxide
3. Ethyl acetate
4. Furfuryl alcohol
5. Tetrahydrofuran
6. Acenaphthene
7. Acenaphthylene
8. Fluorene
9. Acetone
10. 2,3,7,8 - tetrachlorodibenzofuran
11. 2,3,7,8 - tetrachlorodibenzodioxin
12. Glycol ethers (6 species)
¬ Diethylene Glycol Butyl Ether
¬ Diethylene Glycol Ethyl Ether Acetate
¬ Ethylene Glycol Butyl Ether Acetate
¬ Ethylene Glycol Hexyl Ether
¬ Propylene Glycol Butyl Ether
¬ Propylene Glycol Methyl Ether Acetate
13. Mineral spirits groups # 1 and #3 (6 species)
¬ Heavy Alkylate Naphtha
¬ Hydrotreated Heavy Naphtha
¬ Solvent Naphtha Light Aliphatic
¬ Solvent Naphtha Medium Aliphatic
¬ VM & P Naphtha
¬ White Mineral Oil
14. Mineral spirits group #2 (1 species)
¬ Hydrotreated Light Distillate
15. Road dust
In 2006 and 2007, Environment Canada made a series of announcements in the Canada Gazette incorporating 13 of the 15 remaining O. Reg. 127/01 substances into the NPRI, beginning for reporting year 2006.
The present amendments to the O. Reg. 127 Step-by-Step Guideline will de-list all of the above substances except for acetone which will be, for reporting year 2007, the single substance under O. Reg. 127/01 to be reported through One Window National Emissions Reporting System (OWNERS).
As well, calcium oxide will be de-listed from O. Reg. 127/01, as data collected indicates that this compound represents minimal risk to the environment and human health. The balance of the substances, as noted, are required to be reported under the NPRI.
The Step-by-Step Guideline has been amended to reflect these decisions.
It is still the intention of the two governments to develop an Ontario-Canada agreement that will address the following key elements:
Data Collection
- EC to include substances into NPRI that are of interest to Ontario after national consultation for 2007 data and onwards.
Accessibility
- Providing for public access to reported data on a timely basis, including greenhouse gas data collected by Statistics Canada.
Contact:
Peter Wong – Group Leader, Air Emissions
Environmental Monitoring and Reporting
125 Resources Road
Toronto Ontario
M9P 3V6
Phone: (416) 314-1605
Fax: (416) 314-4128
