THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
Institut Canadien du Commerce et de l'environnement
506 Victoria Ave., Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5
Email [log in to unmask]
Vol. 2, No. 23, September 8, 1998
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NPRI REPORTING MUCH IMPROVED THIS YEAR
Environment Canada, under the Hon. Christine Stewart, has much improved
the reporting of the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). It provides
comparisons. It ranks by substances, by discharge zones (land, air, and water)
and by regions (the provinces). It compares the current year with the past
year
(1996 with 1995). It lists Canadian rivers receiving the largest discharges.
In addition, Stewart launched a review and consultation to improve
NPRI. And despite strong opposition, she has been able to maintain the
core of NPRI and is considering expanding its legislated responsibilities to
report on more pollutants in more ways — particularly regarding recycling
and pollution prevention. Despite the short comings that we address in this
report, NPRI continues to be improved as an important tool for promoting
voluntary environmental measures (VEMs) in Canada. What is important
about NPRI is that it is a tool created under the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act which does not constitute command and control regulation.
Rather it is “smart regulation” which promotes and assists non- regulatory
measures taken by companies and their associations to promote voluntary
ways to achieve pollution reductions. Visit Environment Canada’s NPRI’s
website at <http://www2.ec.gc.ca/pdb/npri>http://www2.ec.gc.ca/pdb/npri/
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COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS BEING STRENGTHENED
Environment Canada reports that it plans to strengthen the enforcement
of requirements under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)
to report, and report accurately, to NPRI. Environment Canada stated in the
latest report, “National Pollutant Release Inventory, Summary Report 1996",
that, “beginning with the 1996 NPRI reporting year (in 1998), Environment
Canada has placed greater emphasis on enforcing the reporting requirements
of the NPRI. All facilities in Canada meeting the NPRI reporting criteria are
legally required to submit a report to Environment Canada before the
application deadline date, as specified in the Canada Gazette notice.”
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REPORTING ON POLLUTANT RECYCLING REQUIRED
FROM 1997 ON
Environment Canada has requested voluntary reporting
on pollutants that are being recycled (recovered, reused and recycled —
3R’s) since 1993. However, Under Stewart, starting this year that
companies reporting their 1997 releases to NPRI will be
required to comply with mandatory 3R’s reporting.
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POLLUTION PREVENTION NARRATIVE ENCOURAGED
The U.S. Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) requires companies to report on
their pollution prevention (PP) activities. Environment Canada is attempting
to have the same reporting requirements under the NPRI. However, it is
facing fierce resistance from industry in Canada. Yet, many of the parent
companies of the branch plants in Canada, like General Motors, are already
reporting their pollution prevention activities in the U.S. under TRI. Still,
they resist doing so in Canada. Environment Canada has taken the next
step, and has “encouraged (companies) to provide additional narrative
information on their pollution- prevention activities”, according to the
1996 NPRI report. The primary issue concerning companies is that too
much information on operations materials flows and process management
would be revealed through NPRI pollution prevention reporting to the
competition.
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TRI REPORTS ON 600 POLLUTANTS AND CANADA’S NPRI
REPORTS ON JUST 176 POLLUTANTS
The U.S. Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) requires industry to report on
more than 600 pollutants. Over the years, NPRI has required companies
to report on only one third (1/3rd) of the contaminants. Canadian companies
currently report on only 176 pollutants for NPRI. The other two thirds of the
contaminants discharged in Canada remain unreported to NPRI. This
imbalance is currently being addressed by Minister Christine Stewart in
her review of NPRI. The imbalance in numbers of contaminants reported
will need to be corrected. Particularly given that most of the companies in
Canada have plants in the United States that already comply with TRI
reporting requirements. The companies in Canada are either U.S. owned,
or Canadian owned by have major operations in the U.S., or they are foreign
owned and have operations in the U.S. It should be very easy for them to
adjust to Canada’s NPRI reporting requirements being upgraded to those
of TRI.
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U.S. TOXIC RELEASE INVENTORY (TRI)
The Canadian NPRI is modeled on the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory (TRI).
The TRI was created in 1986 under then new legislation in 1986 called, The
Emergency Planning and Community RightToKnow Act (EPCRA). The
purpose of TRI is to inform communities and citizens of chemical hazards in
their areas. TRI is created under Sections 313 and of EPCRA which require
businesses to report the locations and quantities of more than 600 chemicals
stored onsite to state and local governments. TRI was designed to help
communities prepare to respond to chemical spills and similar emergencies.
Each year, over 80,000 reports representing billions of pounds of chemical
releases are submitted to EPA by more than 20,000 manufacturing facilities
and 200 Federal facilities. Visit the TRI website at
<http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/tri>http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/tri/
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MINING AND OIL DRILLING ARE EXEMPTED FROM
REPORTING TO NPRI
Releases from the actual mining operations of the mining industry are exempt
from reporting to NPRI. However, further processing of mined
materials are not exempt and must be reported by the mining industry.
Oil and gas drilling and the operating of oil wells are exempt from
reporting to NPRI. It would be our hope that these sectors would
be included in the reporting requirements, given the amount of pollution
they generate, but go unreported in Canada. These exemptions seem
unreasonable given the potential for the mining and the oil drilling
operations to pollute. As a result of their lack of reporting, we don’t
know the full extent of their releases and transfers. And, because
mining releases and the oil & gas drilling releases, both the mining
sector and the oil & gas sector reported releases can be lower than
they actually are.
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1,818 CANADIAN FACILITIES REPORTED
TO NPRI THEIR 1996 EMISSIONS
Environment Canada issued its fourth National Pollutant Release
Inventory (NPRI) July 1998, for emissions and transfers in 1996.
NPRI remains one of the most effective instruments for exposing
major pollution and encouraging voluntary measures to clean up.
Congratulations Environment Canada. The report this year is much
clearer and more user friendly than previous reports. It compares
1996 and 1995 numbers. It ranks polluters, and is written in plain
language. The total number of Canadian facilities that reported 1996
emissions and transfers to NPRI was 1,818, an increase of 39 over
1995. There were 6,635 pollutant reports filed for 1996 up
271 from those reported in 1995.
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ON SITE REPORTED NPRI RELEASES DECREASED 14.9%
AND OFF SITE TRANSFERS INCREASED 24% IN 1996
In 1996, on site releases reported to NPRI totalled 142,613 tonnes, a
reported decrease of 25, 001 tonnes or 14.9% compared with 1995.
Off site transfers in waste totalled 64,626 tonnes, an increase of 12,500
tonnes or 24%. A closer look at the CEPA toxic and carcinogenic
pollutants reveal that 13,252 tonnes of those specific toxics were
discharged in 1996, which is a decrease of 865 tonnes over 1995, or
a 6.1% reduction.
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ACTUAL NPRI REDUCTIONS ONLY HALF OF THE REPORTED 14.9% —
BHP MINE SHUTDOWN RESULTED IN MAJOR NPRI REDUCTION
The shutdown in 1995 of the BHP Minerals Canada Ltd.’s Island
Copper Mine after its useful life, resulted in a 12,000 tonne reduction
in copper waste discharges being reported to NPRI. This ceasing of
operations by Island Copper contributed to the overall NPRI list,
14.9% reduction. Take away the 12,000 tonnes from the reported
pollution control reductions of NPRI’s total 25,001 tonne reduction,
it results in a 48% decrease in the actual reductions. Thus
actual industry driven reductions from pollution control efforts reported
on the overall NPRI reduction for 1996 was closer to 8%, not 14.9%, as
reported. The 8% is still a respectable reduction for industry in Canada.
Also, when the mining industries sector, itself, reported a 13,860 tonne
reduction, take away the 12,000 tonnes contributed to the reduction by
BHP Minerals Canada, you have just 1,860 tonnes in reductions. Thus
the reported 67.9% decrease in mining discharges was closer to 6%, not
67.9%. Island Copper was closed because its economically mineable
orebody was depleted. This type of reduction cannot be confused with
genuine efforts by operating firms to reduce their ongoing pollution.
See the website of the Mining Association of Canada at
<http://www.mining.ca/>http://www.mining.ca/
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BHP AUSTRALIA’S BACKGROUND
BHP is an Australian based multinational company. It is formally,
The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited, ACN 004 028 077
(BHP). It was incorporated in Melbourne, Australia, in 1885. It deals
in mining, energy, and project financing. One of its subsidiaries is
BHP Copper, based in San Francisco, California, and is the world's
largest nongovernmental copper mining company. It produces 10%
of the global supply of copper metal, and more than 40% of the world's
supply of copper concentrates. BHP Copper is one of BHP's four main
businesses, having emerged from a division within BHP Minerals in
1996. The group was formed by the acquisition of Magma Copper
Company in 1996, and the combination of these properties with existing
BHP mines in Chile and Papua New Guinea. BHP Copper's mining
operations include Escondida in Chile, Tintaya in Peru, Ok Tedi in Papua
New Guinea, Island Copper on Vancouver Island, B.C., and in the U.S.
— Robinson mine in Nevada, and Pinto Valley, San Manuel and Superior
in Arizona. Visit BHP’s website at
<http://www.bhp.com.au/about.htm>http://www.bhp.com.au/about.htm/.
You can also visit the BHP Copper site at
<http://www.bhp.com.au/copper/index.htm>http://www.bhp.com.au/copper/index.htm
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ST. JOHN RIVER, NEW BRUNSWICK, RECEIVED THE
MOST POLLUTION TO RIVERS IN CANADA
The Saint john River in New Brunswick ranked first amongst rivers
in Canada. The river received a reported 2,468 tonnes of pollutants
in 1996. This was almost twice as much as the second place river,
the St. Lawrence in Quebec which received 1,540 tonnes. Two
Ontario rivers were in third and fourth place with 849 tonnes to the
Detroit River and 665 tonnes to the St. Mary’s River. One river
that does not show up in the top five is the St. Clair River, which
is the receiving waters for Canada’s largest “Chemical Valley” in
the Sarnia- Corruna region. In the 1960's through 1980's, it used to
be a very polluted river. Congratulations, to the chemical industry
for the major clean up there.
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ALBERTA’S POLLUTION REDUCTION LANGUISHES AT 2.2%
As the Alberta government has reduced its environmental
regulation and enforcement, its pollution abatement slowed
to just 2.2% in 1996. And Alberta companies’ on site underground
injections INCREASED 22.7%, or 2,749 tonnes in 1996 over 1995.
In 1996, facilities in Alberta reported on site releases totalling
42,275 tonnes. Releases to air accounted for 24,810 tonnes (58.7%), to
deep well injection 14,856 tonnes (35.1%), to water 1,163 tonnes (2.8%),
and to land 1,410 tonnes (3.3%). The top three pollutants released in
Alberta were ammonia at 9,454 tonnes, methanol at 5,465 tonnes, and
carbon disulphide at 3,643 tonnes. Visit the Alberta Environmental
Protection Agency (AEP) website at http://www.gov.ab.ca/~env/
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ALBERTA COMPANIES HAVE FIVE OF THE TOP SIX EMITTERS
OF AMMONIA IN CANADA: AGRIUM INC. IS LARGEST
The combined ammonia emissions from two Agrium Inc. facilities
in Alberta made them the highest emitter in Canada. Agrium Products Inc.,
in Redwater, released 4,303.7 tonnes of ammonia (1,842 tonnes to
air and 2,440.1 tonnes to underground injection). The second Agrium Inc.
plant, the “Carseland Nitrogen Operations” in Calgary, released 2,057.0
tonnes, for a combined total release of 6,360.7 tonnes. In second place was
another Alberta operation, Shell Canada Products Ltd.’s Scotford Refinery in
Fort Saskatchewan, with 2,488.1 tonnes injected to underground. The third
was Canadian Fertilizers Ltd.’s Medicine Hat, Alberta operation with 2,314.3
tonnes released to the air.
Agrium Products Inc. fertilizer plant in Redwater, Alberta reported a 30.2%
increase in its ammonia releases from 3,306 tonnes in 1995 to 4,304 tonnes
in 1996. With a 67year history in the fertilizer business, Agrium produces
and markets fertilizers, including major plant nutrientsnitrogen,
phosphorous,
potassium, sulphur and micro nutrients. It markets these nutrients, as well
as
sulphurbased fertilizers produced by others, at the wholesale and retail
levels.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, On December 10, Agrium merged with
Viridian Inc. The nitrogen fertilizer production capacity of the combined
company is more than four million tonnes, largest in North America, and
phosphate production capacity is more than one million tonnes. Major
expansions were completed at Redwater and Carseland, increasing their urea
production capacity by a total of 250,000 tonnes. Visit the Agrium website at
http://www.agrium.com/
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AGRIUM PRODUCTS INC., ALBERTA, LARGEST AIR EMITTER
OF METHANOL — A GREENHOUSE GAS
Agrium Products Inc., in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta emitted 2,119.3
tonnes of methanol to the atmosphere. Methanol is a greenhouse gas
covered in the Kyoto Protocol as a target for major reduction. It is
more than 25 times more effective in creating global warming than
carbon dioxide. The second largest air emitter of methanol was Methanex
Corporation’s Medicine Hat, Alberta facility with 1,454.1 tonnes.
While Celanese Canada Inc.’s Edmonton operation was listed with the
largest on site releases of methanol at 2,589.9 tonnes, most of that
(2,500.0 tonnes) was injected underground.
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CELANESE CANADA INC., A HOESCHST COMPANY
A MAJOR EMITTER IN CANADA
LED BY ITS ALBERTA OPERATIONS
Celanese Canada, controlled by Hoeschst Aktiengesellschaft in
Germany, manufactures chemicals and synthetic fibres for items
like clothing, furnishings, plastic softdrink bottles and fuel additives.
More than twothirds of what it produces is exported. Celanese Canada
employs 1,500 people, with its head office located in Montréal, Québec.
Its three plants are located in Drummondville, Québec; Millhaven,
Ontario; and Edmonton, Alberta. the Celanese Canada website is
http://www.celanese.ca/celanese/e/. Visit the parent company’s
website, The Hoechst Celanese Corporation at http://www.hcc.com/.
Two Celanese Canada Inc. plants placed first and second in emissions
of acetaldehyde. The Edmonton plant was first with 242.0 tonnes.
The Millhaven Facility in Ernestown, Ont., was second with 39.0 tonnes.
Third place E.B. Eddy Forest Products was half of that with 18.9 tonnes.
Two Celanese Canada Inc. plants place first and second in emissions of
acetone. Again, the Edmonton plant was top with 1,534.7 tonnes.
Second was the Drummondville facility in Quebec with 990.0 tonnes.
This was double the third place General Motors Canada autoplex emissions
in Oshawa, Ontario with 442.0 tonnes. The Edmonton facility also was
Canada’s top emitter of tert butyl alcohol with releases of 104.2 tonnes
(9.2 tonnes to the air and 95.0 tonnes to underground).
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CELANESE CANADA INC., EDMONTON TOP RELEASER OF
METHYL ETHYL KETONE AND VINYL ACETATE
Celanese Canada Inc., Edmonton released 1,203.8 tonnes methyl ethyl
ketone to the environment. The majority of that (1,100.0 was injected
underground. In second place was Canadian General Tower Ltd., in
Cambridge, Ontario which released 799.5 tonnes to the air.
Celanese Canada Inc., Edmonton was the largest releaser of vinyl
acetate at 227.1 tonnes (of which 190 tonnes went to underground
injection and 37.1 tonnes were released to the air). This was more
than twice as much as second place AT Plastics Inc., Edmonton
with 85.9 tonnes vinyl acetate released to the air.
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GEON CANADA INC.’S TWO PLANTS IN ALBERTA AND ONTARIO
LARGEST EMITTERS OF VINYL CHLORIDE IN CANADA
Geon Canada Inc.’s two plants in Alberta and Ontario accounted for
emissions of 12.1 tonnes of vinyl chloride, primarily to the air. The
Geon Scotford Plant in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta released 8.6 tonnes.
The Geon Niagara plant in Thorold, Ont. released 3.5 tonnes. In
second place was Imperial Oil’s Sarnia Chemical Plant with 5.5
tonnes released to the air.
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ALBERTA PLACE TWO OF TOP THREE EMITTERS
OF ETHYLENE
In first place was Dow Chemical’s Fort Saskatchewan Western Canada
Operations with 275.9 tonnes to the air. Second was Nova Chemicals
(Canada) Ltd., Mooretown, Ontario plant with 229.0 tonnes to the air.
And third was Union Carbide Canada Inc.’s Prentiss Ethylene Glycol
Plant in Lacombe County, Alberta, with 228.2 tonnes ethylene.
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ONTARIO’S COMPANIES SLOW TO A 4.7% OF NPRI LISTED
CEPA TOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC POLLUTANTS
While Ontario has achieved a respectable 9.7% reduction of all NPRI
contaminants, its reduction of on site releases to air, water, & land of
toxic and carcinogenic pollutants was a small 4.7%. Within that, releases
of carcinogenic toxic pollutants to water INCREASED 36.4%. Ontario
companies’ total off site disposal INCREASED 47.8% over 1995. These
increases are in line with Ontario’s decision to back off enforcement of
environmental protection. Ontario companies’ total on site releases of CEPA
toxic and carcinogenic pollutants in 1996 was 5,499 tonnes. Total off site
transfers in waste was 6,748 tonnes. Visit the Ontario Ministry of
Environment’s
website at http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/
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ONTARIO HAS 48.7% OF REPORTING COMPANIES
Ontario, with the largest economic and manufacturing base in Canada has 885
facilities reporting to NPRI, representing 48.7% of all reporting companies
in
Canada. Quebec is second with half that number at 404 facilities (22.2%).
Alberta is third with 208 reporting facilities (11.4% of the total). B.C. had
121 reporting facilities and Manitoba has 54. Given that responsibility for
environmental protection continues to evolve to the provinces, that gives the
Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) are very important role in helping
Canada achieve its national and international commitments to enhancing the
environment. Visit the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s website at
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/
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ONTARIO COMPANIES RECORDED LARGEST TRANSFER
OF WASTE OFF - SITE, FOUR TIMES HIGHER THAN SECOND PLACE
Ontario companies registered 44,796 tonnes of wastes transfer off site,
69.3% of the 64,626 tonnes reported transfer offsite to NPRI. Second
place was Quebec with 10,348 tonnes. The top three methods of off site
transfer in Canada were land disposal 40%, incineration 14%, and
underground injection 13%. Zinc and its compounds was the highest
NPRI pollutant transferred off site at 12,785 tonnes, sulphuric acid
was second at 8,051 tonnes (up from 5,115 tonnes in 1995). Third was
manganese at 6,660 tonnes, and fourth ethylene glycol at 5,191 tonnes.
The major increase for sulphuric acid can be attributed to Ethyl Canada
Inc.’s Corruna Ontario facility which reported 6,800 tonnes injected
in deep wells off site compared to 4,350 tonnes injected during the previous
year, representing an increases of 56.3%
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ONTARIO COMPANIES REPRESENT 8 OF THE TOP TEN EMITTERS
OF BENZENE: DOFASCO STEEL TOP EMITTER
Ontario companies are eight amongst the top ten on site releasers of benzene.
Top is Dofasco Inc., in Hamilton with 455.6 tonnes to the air. In second place
is another steel company, Stelco Inc., with 225.9 tonnes to the air from its
Hilton Works. A third steel company, Algoma Steel Inc., was in third place
with 164.4 tonnes. Other Ontario companies on the list include chemical and
refinery companies like Bayer Rubber Inc., Sarnia with 71.6 tonnes, Shell
Canada Products Ltd., Corunna (Sarnia), at 68.2 tonnes, and Nova Chemicals
in Corunna with 62.3 tonnes. Shell Canada’s Scotford Refinery in Fort
Saskatchewan, Alberta, registered one of the largest increases in benzene
emissions jumping from 11.7 tonnes in 1995 to 48.6 tonnes in 1996.
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DOFASCO LEADS IN CANADA’S RELEASES OF NAPHTHALENE
Dofasco Inc.’s steel works in Hamilton, Ontario is the highest emitter
of naphthalene with 11.4 tonnes. In second place is Nova Chemicals,
Corunna (Sarnia) with 5.2 tonnes.
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ONTARIO COMPANIES HAVE 4 OF THE TOP 5 LISTED EMITTERS
OF BIPHENYL
Dupont Canada Inc., in Kingston, Ontario is the highest emitter with releases
to
the air of 5.9 tonnes. Second place was Celanese Canada’s Millhaven Facility
in Ernestown with 3.6 tonnes. Petro Canada facilities in Montreal (1.4 tonnes)
and Mississauga (1.3 tonnes) placed third and fourth respectively. Fifth was
Nova Chemicals ltd., in Corunna with 1.1 tonnes. Almost all of the above
mentioned releases were to the air.
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ONTARIO PLACES TOP 5 OF 8 EMITTERS OF COBALT:
INCO LTD. AND ONTARIO HYDRO ARE TOP TWO
Inco Ltd.’s Port Colborne Refinery released 12.3 tonnes of cobalt and its
compounds to land, air and water. It was surprisingly followed by Ontario
Hydro’s Nanticoke coal fired electricity plant with 10.0 tonnes, mainly
to land (with only .05 tonnes to the air). INCO Ltd.’s Sudbury nickel
refinery was third with 6.0 tonnes of cobalt emitted primarily to the air.
In fourth place was DuPont Canada Inc.’s Maitland facility with 4.0 tonnes.
INCO’s smelter complex in Sudbury placed first in copper emissions with
204.7 tonnes to the air. In second place was Noranda’s Horne smelter in
Rouyn Noranda, Quebec with 143.2 tonnes.
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ONTARIO HYDRO RECORDED AS THE TOP THREE EMITTERS OF
HYDROCHLORIC ACID IN CANADA
Ontario Hydro’s three large coal fired power stations were the top three
emitters of hydrochloric acid in Canada to the air. O.H.’s Nanticoke coal
fired power station was first with 2,460.0 tonnes, followed by the Lambton
coal fired plant with 522.0 tonnes, and the Lakeview Generating Station
with 405.7 tonnes. In fourth place (the top non coal fired plant emitter)
was Bayer Rubber Inc., Sarnia, Ont. with 269.2 tonnes. Ontario Hydro’s
website is http://www.hydro.on.ca/
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NOVA CHEMICAL LTD., ONTARIO, TOP RELEASER
OF CYCLOHEXANE
Nova Chemicals (Canada) Ltd.’s Corunna (Sarnia) facility released four
times as much cyclohexane (2,100.8 tonnes) as the second place Bayer
Rubber Inc., operation in Sarnia (with 528.2 tonnes). Both far out distanced
third place Suncor Energy Inc.’s tar sands facility in Fort McMurray,
Alberta, with 155.8 tonnes.
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GENERAL MOTORS AND FORD CANADA PLACE TOP TWO
EMITTERS OF METHYL ISOBUTYL KETONE
The General Motors of Canada Ltd.’s truck and autoplex in Oshawa, Ontario
placed a combined first place in air emissions of methyl isobutyl ketone
with 126.2 tonnes from its car and truck Autoplex in Oshawa (95.5 tonnes
trucks and 30.8 tonnes cars). It was closely followed by Ford Motor Company
of Canada Ltd.’s Oakville Assembly Plant, Ont. With 100.5 tonnes, and
Ford Motor’s St. Thomas, Ont plant with 99.7 tonnes. In fact, combined,
Ford’s two plants release 200.2 tonnes, placing them in first place.
As well, General Motors of Canada Ltd., car plant at the Oshawa autoplex
placed first as the highest emitter of toluene with 391.4 tonnes to the air.
It was followed by Canadian Technical Tape in St-Laurent, Quebec with
298.8 tonnes toluene.
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GENERAL MOTORS PLACED FIRST IN EMISSIONS
OF XYLENE
The General Motors of Canada Ltd. truck and car plants at the Oshawa
Autoplex placed first in releases, this time with a combined 950.5
tonnes (613.2 tonnes car plant and 337.3 tonnes truck plant). The Standard
Products (Canada) Ltd. rubber plant in Stratford was second with 476.0
tonnes xylene released to the air.
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WEYERHAEUSER CANADA LTD. LARGEST RELEASER OF
FORMALDEHYDE IN CANADA
Three Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. facilities combined to release 315.0
tonnes of formaldehyde in 1996. The Weyerhaeuser OSB mill in
Drayton Valley, Alberta released 131.8 tonnes formaldehyde to the air.
The OSB mill in Edson Alberta for Weyerhaeuser released 102.4 tonnes
to the air, followed by Weyerhaeuser’s OSB mill in Slave Lake, Alberta
with 80.7 tonnes. The single highest plant emissions of formaldehyde was
not from a Weyerhaeuser facility, but from Abitibi Consolidated Inc.’s
Port Alfred forestry operation in La Baie, Quebec with formaldehyde
emissions of 229.0 tonnes.
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ONTARIO AND ALBERTA HIGHEST RELEASES
OF SULPHURIC ACID
FROM INCO LTD., AND SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD.
Inco Ltd.’s Sudbury smelter released 4,346.0 tonnes sulphuric acid
to the air in 1996, seven times higher than second place Syncrude
Canada Ltd.’s Mildred Lake oil sands plant in Fort McMurray,
Alberta, with 571.6 tonnes.
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TWO ONTARIO PLANTS GENERATE MORE TETRACHLOROETHYLENE
THAN THE NEXT 8 TOP EMITTERS
Advanced Monobloc manufacturing in Penetanguishene, Ontario released
87.2 tonnes tetrachloroethylene to the air in 1996, placing it at the top of
the
list. It is closely followed by Uniglove Services Ltd., in Hamilton with
62.5 tonnes. The combined 149.7 tonnes is three times as much as the combined
49.2 tonnes emitted by the next 8 top emitters in Canada.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO CARTONS ST- LAURENT INC., QUEBEC
AND SHERRITT INTERNATIONAL FOR MAJOR REDUCTIONS
Caronts St- Laurent Inc., Usine de la Tuque reported an 85.6% reduction in
methanol releases from 2,337 tonnes in 1995 to 336 tonnes in 1996, a decrease
of 2,001 tonnes. The company reported that volume of its on- site releases
of methanol decreased as a result of the installation of a secondary
treatment
unit in 1995.
Sherritt International Corp.’s Saskatchewan’s operation reported
a 65.9% reduction in its methanol releases from 2,319 tonnes in 1995 to
790 tonnes in 1996. Congratulations Sheritt.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO METHANEX CORP. AND IRVING PULP
& PAPER LTD. FOR THEIR REDUCTIONS
Methanex Corporation’s Medicine Hat plant in Alberta reduced its methanol
releases from 3,353 tonnes in 1995 to 1,454 tonnes in 1996, a decrease of
56.6%
Irving’s Pulp & Paper plant and its tissue plant complex in Saint John, NB
decreased their methanol releases from 3,573 tonnes in 1995 to 2,112 tonnes
in 1996, a decrease of 40.9%. Royal Oak Mines Inc.’s Giant Mine in
Yellowknife,
NT, did well with a reduction of its arsenic contaminated wastes discharges by
19.4%
from 3,604 tonnes in 1995 to 2,903 tonnes in 1996.
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WHOOPS! INCO LTD. RELEASES GO UP
What happened? Inco Ltd.’s nickel smelter complex in Sudbury, Ontario
experienced a 42.9% increase in sulphuric acid releases, up from 3,041
tonnes in 1995 to 4,346 tonnes in 1996. Also, Inco Inc. placed five of the
top seven releases of nickel and its compounds, led by the Sudbury (Copper
Cliff) smelter and refinery operations at 222.2 tonnes (122.3 tonnes from the
smelter and 99.9 tonnes from the refinery). Followed by Inco Ltd.’s
Manitoba Thompson smelter with 87.3 tonnes. Followed by Inco Inc.,
Sudbury milling operation at 29.9 tonnes. The next highest non nickel
mining operation to make it in the top group is North Atlantic Refining
Ltd.’s Come by Chance oil refinery in Newfoundland with 34.3 tonnes.
To visit Inco Ltd.’s website go to http://www.incoltd.com/
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CHEMICAL INDUSTRY REMAINS LARGEST POLLUTING
SECTOR
The chemical and chemical porducts industry sector remains the
largest polluting sector in Canada with on site releasese of 41,965
tonnes in 1996. In second place, there is a near tie, each with half
the emissions reported by the chemical industry, between the primary
metal industry sector at 20,372 tonnes and the pulp and paper industry
at 20,251tonnes. Visit the Canadian Chemical Producers Association
(CCPA) website at http://www.ccpa.ca/
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PRIMARY METAL AND MINING AND INDUSTRIES
LARGEST EMITTER OF CEPA TOXICS & CARCINOGENS
The primary metal industry and the mining industry shared the top spot
in 1996 as Canada’s largest on site emitters of CEPA toxic and carcinogenic
pollutants.
“CEPA toxic” means those pollutants that have been listed in the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) as being persistent toxics. The
primary metal industries released 3,436 tonnes and the mining industry
3,272 tonnes. In third place was the plastic products industry with
1,482 tonnes. In fourth was the chemical industry with 1,369 tonnes.
Overall on site relases of NPRI listed CEPA toxic and carcinogenic
pollutants decreased 6.1%, or by 865 tonnes. The CEPA toxics in Canada
were primarily released to the air (7,879 tonnes), secondly to underground
injection (3,048 tonnes), and thirdly to land disposal (1,907 tonnes). The
top five CEPA toxic and carcinogenic pollutants were arsenic and its
compounds at 3,188 tonnes; dichloromethane at 2,278 tonnes, benzene
with 2,126 tonnes, lead at 1,699 tonnes, and formaldehyde at 1,405 tonnes.
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QUEBEC REDUCED 17.5%
Quebec companies reduced their on- site releases from 1995 to 1996 by 3,999
tonnes, or 17.5%. New Brunswick did well by reducing its discharges 1,143
tonnes, or 21.5%. Manitoba was poor. Though comparatively speaking, a
small polluter, Manitoba’s emissions increased 1,851 tonnes, or 63.8%.
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