THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
506 Victoria Ave., Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5
Ph. (514) 369- 0230, Fax (514) 369- 3282
Email [log in to unmask]
Vol. 3, No. 1, January 7, 1999
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CANADA CANADA CANADA CANADA
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BCNI A POWERFUL LOBBY IN CANADA ON THE ENVIRONMENT
The Business Council on National Issues (BCNI) is composed of
150 member companies in Canada which control $1.9 trillion in
assets and have $500 billion in annual revenues. Behind the scenes
in Ottawa, BCNI has been working hard on the federal and provincial
governments to relax their environmental protection measures, and
place environmental protection more in the hands of industry.
BCNI led by its President, Thomas d'Aquino, with the assistance
of BCNI Senior Researcher, John Dillon, have been working hard
on warning of the problems related to Canada attempting to meet
its commitment to the Kyoto Accord to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Peter Newman, in his book, "Titans" writes that, "Tom d'Aquino has
never been elected to any public office, but exerts an influence over
Canadian public policy that C.D. Howe, even at the height of his
wartime powers, would have envied."
Lunching with federal ministers, and spending time at the home of the
Prime Minister, BCNI's Tom d'Aquino has had more influence on
environmental matters than all of the environmental conferences and
NGO meetings put together. Tom d'Aquino and John Dillon went to
Kyoto with oil industry executives and the energy provinces like
Alberta and B.C. to blunt Canada's support for strong measures to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Canada's eminent writer, Allan
Fortherinham reported that d'Aquino brought 17 federal senior officials
together in Canada prior to the Kyoto Conference, "to watch his
slide show that preached for a reduction in Canada's environmental
goals." Source, MacLean's Magazine, Allan Fotheringham, "How
Ottawa Gave Business the Keys to Power", Toronto, 1998.
The Business Council on National Issues is described at
website, http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mi00605e.html
BCNI is located at Royal Bank Centre, 90 Sparks Street, Suite 806,
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5B4; Tel: (613) 238-3727
Fax: (613) 236-8679, E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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CANADA'S FEDERAL BUILDINGS INITIATIVE (FBI)
WILL SAVE $160 MILLION IN ANNUAL ENERGY COSTS
Canada's Federal Buildings Initiative (FBI) involves energy efficiency
and energy conservation efforts among the thousands of buildings
owned and occupy by the federal government across Canada.
Once fully implemented throughout all applicable federal buildings,
the FBI will achieve savings of $160 million annually. It will create a
total of 20,000 person-years of employment. And it will stimulate
investments in the order of $1 billion. "Right now Canadian taxpayers
save about $20 million a year through this program,'' said Mr. Ralph
Goodale, federal Minister of Natural Resources Canada. He added
that, "Since the FBI was launched in 1992, more than 4,000
federal government buildings have undergone the energy retrofits.''
The Honourable Christine Stewart, Minister of the Environment,
The Honourable Alfonso Gagliano, Minister of Public Works and
Government Services, and the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister
of Natural Resources, have announced an expansion of that program
as part of meeting Canada's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
They stated that, "For the first time since the energy retrofit
program was introduced in 1992, the FBI has been expanded to allow
private sector building owners, with a lease agreement in place
with the Government, to participate in this program". Les Entreprises
Duroc Inc., owner and operator of Place Vincent Massey in Hull,
Quebec, is the first building owner to participate in this initiative.
Landis Stamp & Staefa Ltd., the Energy Service Company (ESCO),
will invest $1.8 million to upgrade the lighting, heating and ventilation
systems at Place Vincent Massey (PVM), and will be reimbursed by the
$200,000 annual energy savings over the next nine years. Go to the website
for the complete press release http://www.ec.gc.ca/press_e.html
For more information, contact, Tim Leah,National Office of Pollution
Prevention, Environment Canada, 13th Floor, Place Vincent Massey
Hull, Quebec K1A 0H3, Tel. (819) 953- 1134, fax (819) 953- 5595
Email [log in to unmask]
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NEW AMENDMENTS TO ONTARIO'S ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION ACT, BILL 82 PASSED DECEMBER 1998
REPORTS DIANE SAXE
Ontario Bill 82, the Environmental Statute Law Amendment
Act, 1998, which was quietly introduced into the Ontario Le
gislature November 1998, was quickly passed and received
Royal Assent December 18, 1998. It amends the Ontario
Environmental Protection and most of the Act comes into
force February 1, 1999. Generally, the amendments are good.
The most important amendments are the administrative monetary
penalty provisions. Two of the key groups of amendments affect
the powers of provincial officers and administrative monetary
penalties. In addition, cleanup orders for the removal of illegally
deposited waste can be issued to a broader group, including those
who "cause or permit" illegal waste disposal. There are also
numerous minor amendments, e.g. increasing maximum fines,
and broadening the orders that can be made on conviction.
To partly compensate for the great reduction in their numbers, the Bill
significantly expands the powers of provincial officers. e.g., they can stop
vehicles to test emissions, seize vehicles and plates, use force, and
"secure" (freeze) a scene, i.e. to preserve evidence.
Sections 16, 49 and 91 grant provincial officers broad powers to issue
orders. Until now, the MOE has used an untested administrative "dodge" to
allow provincial officers to issue orders that the law says can only be
issued by Directors. The MOE simply named all the provincial officers as
"directors" and then allowed them to issue "field orders" under the
Pesticides Act (the "PA") (section 28), the Ontario Water Resources Act
(the "OWRA") (sections 31, 32, 60 and 61) and the Environmental Protection
Act (the "EPA") (sections 17, 18, 43, and 44).
For a more detailed analysis of how the new amendments affect
you, contact Dianne Saxe, D. Jur., Barrister and Solicitor, Certified
Specialist in Environmental Law, Suite 1506, 355 St. Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, Ontario M5P 1N5, ph. (416) 962 5882, fax (416) 962 8817
email [log in to unmask], website http://www.envirolaw.com
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CITY OF KINGSTON, ONTARIO CONVICTED FOR POLLUTING
What happens when the province backs away from its responsibility to
prosecute polluters? Then citizens have to do it. Two citizens' groups,
the Environmental Bureau of Investigation and the Sierra Legal Defence
Fund successfully laid charges against Kingston for dumping toxic
waste into the Great Cataraqui River. Justice of the Peace Jack Bell
of the Ontario Court (Provincial Division) in Kingston convicted
the City of Kingston for violating the federal Fisheries Act. With
legal representation from the Sierra Legal Defence Fund (SLDF),
the private prosecution was commenced in 1997 by local resident,
Janet Fletcher. Kingston allowed toxic leachate to pour out of a
former City waste dump, which is now a public park and golf course.
"Kingston officials knew for years about the toxic material pouring
from this site into the River and refused to take any action to prevent it,"
explained Fletcher. For more information contact, Myriam Laura
Beaulne, Staff Biologist, Environmental Bureau of Investigation,
Toronto, at ph. 416 964 9223 Ext. 258. Visit their
website at http://www.nextcity.com/ebi
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ATTEND CEIA ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL BUSINESS
BREAKFASTS IN TORONTO
The Canadian Environment Industry Association, Ontario Chapter
holds monthly business breakfasts. It gives companies a chance to
share opportunities and to explore new information on emerging
markets. The next breakfast meeting will be held 7:30 am,
Wednesday, January 13, 1999. The featured speaker is Bill
Saunderson, Chairman, Ontario International Trade Corporation
(OITC) & Bob Marrs, Director Americas Branch, to speak on the role
of OITC in assisting exporters develop global markets. Also speaking
is Marco Espinosa, Bancomext &Trade Commissioner of Mexico
on Business Development Opportunities in Mexico. He will be followed
by Enrico Di Nino, Senior International Trade Advisor, MOE - GIO
Role of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's Green Industry Office's
(GIO) role in Promoting Environmental Export Growth. Also speaking
are Laura Gainer & Lisa Parker from the Export Development Corporation
(EDC) on providing financing and insurance for exporters of environmental
goods and services. The breakfast meeting will be held at Humber College,
205 Humber College Blvd., (7th Semester Room), Etobicoke, Ontario,
Tel: 416-675-3111.
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FEBRUARY 18TH BUSINESS BREAKFAST WITH CANADA'S IRAP
One of the largest supporters in Canada of new environmental technology
demonstration and expansion is the federal Industrial Research Assistance
Programme (IRAP). On Wednesday, February 18, 1999, CEIA Ontario
will host Industrial Trade Advisors (ITAs) from IRAP, who will speak about
how to access IRAP funding and other support mechanisms. There will
also be a presentation from a representative from the Canadian Technology
Network (CTN). Following the breakfast there will be a workshop where
CEIA Ontario will facilitate meetings between the ITA reps and participating
environment companies.
To register contact Tom Armstrong, Executive Director, CEIA Ontario
at , 23 Lesmill Road, Suite 102, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3P6,
Ph. (416) 447-2456, ext. 27, fax (416) 447- 5828,
email: [log in to unmask], You can register on line at
website at http://www.ceia.on.ca/ Click on "events".
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QUEBEC COMPLETING ONE OF WORLDS LARGEST
WIND FARM PROJECTS
Quebec is completing the first phase of the $160 million Nordais
wind park, involving the erection of 76 windmills near the village
of Cap Chat on the banks of the St Lawrence River in Quebec's
Gaspe region. The 55 metre high windmills each have three blades
measuring 48 metres from end to end. They are currently undergoing
tests and expect to be fully operational the end of January 1999.
Installation of the second phase of 57 more windmills will begin
on schedule next spring in nearby Matane, Quebec. The project
manager is Axor International Inc. The Nordais project's 133 windmills
will be the largest wind farm in Canada and one of the largest in the
world. Its installed capacity of 100 megawatts. Axor's partners are
Hydro Quebec, NEG Micon of Denmark, the world's leading
manufacturer of wind turbines, and Nichimen Corp, a Japanese trading
firm. Source, The Globe and Mail, Report on Business, January 1, 1999.
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INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL
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WIND POWER SET NEW RECORD IN 1998 FASTEST
GROWING ENERGY SOURCE,
REPLACES CLIMATE CHANGE GAS EMISSIONS
The world added 2,100 megawatts of new wind energy generating
capacity in 1998, a new all-time record, and 35 percent more than
was added in 1997, according to preliminary estimates by the Worldwatch
Institute, writes Christopher Flavin. The new wind turbines added in
1998 have pushed overall wind generating capacity worldwide to
9,600 megawatts at the end of this year-double the capacity
in place three years earlier. These wind turbines will generate
roughly 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 1999-enough
for 3.5 million suburban homes.
Wind power has also become one of the most rapidly expanding
industries, with sales of roughly $2 billion in 1998. The wind
industry is creating thousands of jobs at a time when employment
in manufacturing is falling in many nations. The 1998 boom in
wind energy was led by Germany, which added 800 megawatts,
pushing its wind energy capacity to over 2,800 megawatts. Germany's
wind industry, which is only seven years old, is already producing
as much electricity as two of the country's largest coal-fired power
plants, which themselves are responsible for emitting hundreds of
thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases. Spain also emerged as
a major player in the wind power industry in 1998. Spain added
395 megawatts of wind power, pushing the country's overall
capacity up 86 percent to 850 megawatts.
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WIND ENERGY GROWS IN THE U.S.
BEGINNING TO DISPLACE OIL AND COAL FIRED
GREENHOUSE GAS EMITTERS
Wind power installations also grew rapidly in the United States
in 1998, with some 235 megawatts of new capacity added across
ten different states. The surge in U.S. wind investment, the largest
since 1986, was spurred by efforts to take advantage of a wind
energy tax credit that is scheduled to expire in June 1999. The
largest projects are a 107-megawatt wind farm in Minnesota,
one of 42 megawatts in Wyoming, and one of 25 megawatts in
Oregon. Denmark continued as a leader in the global wind power
industry in 1998, adding 235 megawatts of capacity. Denmark's
1,350 megawatts of wind power now generate over 8 percent of
the country's electricity. And Denmark's wind companies have
become leading exporters, accounting for over half the new
wind turbines installed worldwide in 1998. Danish companies
have also formed successful joint venture manufacturing
companies in nations such as India and Spain, leading to the rapid
transfer of wind energy technology to these countries.
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WIND POWER IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
INDIA LEADING
The nations that could benefit most from further growth of the wind
industry are in the developing world, where power demand is growing
rapidly, and most countries lack adequate indigenous supplies of fossil
fuels. India is the leader so far, with over 900 megawatts of wind power
in place, but wind development has slowed there in the last two years,
due to a suspension of the generous tax breaks that were enacted in the
mid- 1990s. Indian observers expect the new government to restore some
of these incentives, which could boost wind development in 1999. Unlike
India, China has not yet established a solid legal basis for a sustained wind
power industry, but several companies have installed small wind
projects there in the last few years with the help of foreign aid.
China has clear potential to become a wind superpower-with abundant
wind resources in several regions, including a vast stretch of Inner Mongolia
that could be the Saudi Arabia of wind power. China's wind potential is
estimated to exceed its total current generating capacity.
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GROWTH POTENTIAL FOR WIND ENERGY WORLDWIDE
Overall, wind power is a far larger potential energy source than most
people realize. In the United States, the states of North Dakota, South
Dakota, and Texas have sufficient wind capacity to provide electricity
for the entire nation. A study by Danish researchers in 1998 laid out a
scenario for providing 10 percent of the world's electricity from wind
within the next 2 decades. In the longer run, wind power could easily
exceed hydro electric power-which now supplies 23% of the world's
electricity -- as an energy source. Accelerated growth of the wind industry
is likely in 1999, with at least 2,500 megawatts of capacity likely to be
installed according to Worldwatch Institute estimates. Spain and the
United States should have particularly good years, probably exceeding
500 megawatts of new turbines each. Other countries where market
growth is likely include Canada, Italy, Japan, Norway, and the United
Kingdom. Among developing countries, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica,
Egypt, and Morocco are some of the nations that appear poised to
develop sizeable wind industries in the coming years.
If wind energy were given the same tax, fiscal, and government backing
as nuclear electricity was given in the 1960's thru to the 1980's, it would
clearly rival nuclear electricity in output, and better it in reliability and
environmental benigness — and at a cheaper cost than nuclear power
unsubsidized.
The above articles were taken from the work by Christopher Flavin,
Senior Vice President at the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental think
tank located in Washington D.C. To reach him for more information on
this story, call Alison Trice at ph. 202 452- 1992 ext. 517, Website at
http://www.worldwatch.org
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PESTICIDES IN FRENCH WINES
COULD CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS
Don't drink french wines. They have pesticides. That's what some
health authorities are saying. Two French magazines, "L'Express"
and "Que Choisir", reported that pesticides used to treat wood in
wine storage buildings in the 1980's are to blame for the poor taste
in some wines produced in Bordeaux. In 1993, following several
buyer returns, wine chemist Pascal Chatonnet identified the chemicals
that were producing the offensive flavor that has been experienced over
the last decade. The types of fungicides used to keep wood from rotting
can be harmful to human health. While chemists report that the amount
of chemicals in the wines were not found to be health threatening,
additional tests remain to ensure that human health is protected. Source,
"Pesticide Blamed for Unsavory French Wine." New York Times,
December 28, 1998.
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$10,000 CALDER CONSERVATION AWARD IN THE U.S. FOR
FOSTERING ENVIRONMENT BUSINESS COOPERATION
The Alexander Calder Conservation Award in the U.S., sponsored
by The Conservation Fund and Union Camp Corporation, is presented
annually to encourage and recognize individuals who have shown
that conservation and business can work together. Alexander Calder,
former chairman and chief executive officer of Union Camp
Corporation, was a corporate pioneer in land conservation. Each
year, a panel of judges selected by The Conservation Fund honors
Mr. Calder by presenting this award and US$ 10,000 to an individual
who has achieved significant results in the protection of terrestrial or
wetland habitat in the United States and has demonstrated the positive
value of cooperative partnerships between business and conservation.
Nominations are sought for the year 2000 award candidates. Judging will take
place in spring, and the award will be presented in December 1999.
To nominate a candidate, or for more information about this award, please
visit the website http://www.conservationfund.org
and select Recognizing Leadership. Or you can write or call
The Alexander Calder Conservation Award, c/o The Conservation Fund,
Suite 1120, 1800 North Kent Street, Arlington, Virginia 22209
ph. (703) 525-6300, (703) 525-4610.
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WORLD BUSINESS REACHES U.S. $24 TRILLION ANNUALLY
UP SIX TIME THE AMOUNT IN 1975
The world consumed more than $24 trillion in goods and
services last year, six times the figure for 1975. Of the world's
6.8 billion people, 4.4 billion live in developing countries, the
rest in rich industrial or transition countries. The 3 richest
people in the world own assets that exceed the combined
gross domestic products of the world's poorest 48 countries.
Among the 4.4 billion who live in developing countries, three-
fifths have no access to basic sanitation; almost one- third are
without safe drinking water; one- quarter lack adequate housing.
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$9 BILLION ANNUALLY FOR SANITATION, YET
$11 BILLION SPENT ANNUALLY ON ICE CREAM
Basic education for all world cost US$6 billion a year - $8 billion
is spent annually for cosmetics in the United States alone.
Installation of water and sanitation for all would cost $9 billion
plus some annual costs - $11 billion is spent annually on ice cream
in Europe. Basic health care and nutrition would cost $13 billion.
$17 billion a year is spent on pet food in Europe and the United
States. $35 billion is spent on business entertainment in Japan;
$50 billion on cigarettes in Europe; $105 billion on alcoholic drinks
in Europe; $400 billion on narcotic drugs around the world; and
$780 billion on the world's militaries. The question arises, do we
have our priorities straight? Are we, as humans, capable of
organizing our societies in a manner to take advantage of our
resources? The above facts came from the United Nations'
Human Development Report of 1998, New York. See the
full report on the UNDP website at http://www.undp.org/
Source, The Washington Post, January 2, 1999.
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GREENING BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN NOVEMBER 1999
NORTH CAROLINA
The eighth international conference of the Greening of Industry
Network will convene in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, November
14 to 17, 1999. Called, "Sustainability -- Ways of Knowing and
Ways of Acting" will be hosted by Professor Stuart L. Hart, Kenan-
Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. The conference
program is being developed now. Abstracts from academics and
professionals who wish to participate and present papers are being
requested now. A one page abstract is due by February 1, 1999.
You can find the Call for Papers, Presentations and Workshops
at the website http://greening99.bschool.unc.edu.
Or contact Kurt Fischer, U.S. Coordinator, The Greening of
Industry Network, Research Professor, Clark University, 950
Main Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01610-1477,
tel 508 751 4607, fax 508 751 4600 [log in to unmask]
http://www.clarku.edu/organizations/greening
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STATES IN THE U.S. ARE UNDER REPORTING ON AIR
POLLUTION VIOLATIONS
Results of the Inspector General Nikki Tinsley's audit of EPA regional
air- quality programs show that Clean Air Act violations have, for
several years, been "under reported'' by local state agencies. Sylvia
Lowrance, head of EPA's enforcement and compliance-assurance office,
reports on the findings that, often times, states were not conducting
regulatory inspections or were neglecting to document violations in the
EPA's national database. Some auditors believe that the 1994 EPA
reorganization, which divided the enforcement branch from the one that
gives grant money to states, is to blame, as it weakened EPA's power to
enforce state compliance. Inconsistency with the application of the air-
quality program from one state to another was reported. Source, "EPA Probers
Find Big Flaws in Major Clean-Air Effort", Wall Street Journal,
December 28, 1998.
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IDAHO NOT PROTECTING ITS ENVIRONMENT
Inspectors from the U.S. EPA's Inspector General's Office said that
state and federal air quality regulators are not protecting Idaho's
public health and environment, and even suggested that the federal
government take over the state's air quality enforcement program.
Source, "Boise, Idaho [Across the USA]." USA Today, August 14, 1998.
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Copyright (c) 1999 Canadian Institute for
Business and the Environment, Montreal
All rights reserved.
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