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The new CEPA and the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) - ARCHIVED
What is the National Pollutant Release Inventory?
The National Pollutant Release Inventory
(NPRI) provides Canadians with facilityspecific
information regarding on-site releases
and off-site transfers of 268 substances listed
on the inventory. Companies that
manufacture, process or otherwise use one of
the listed substances, and meet the reporting
thresholds, must report their releases or
transfers to Environment Canada annually.
The information is used by the department in
its toxics management programs, and is made
publicly available to Canadians each year.
What sections of CEPA 1999 cover the NPRI?
CEPA 1999 includes information-gathering
provisions (sections 46 to 53) that specifically
address the creation of inventories of data
(section 46) and state that the Minister shall
establish a national inventory of releases of
pollutants (section 48).
Why specifically include the NPRI in this legislation?
The NPRI is the only publicly accessible
inventory of its type in Canada. It provides
Canadians with company-specific information
on the releases and transfers in their
communities for the 268 pollutants currently
listed on the NPRI. The publication of this information encourages companies to take
voluntary action to reduce their releases and
transfers, and allows the Government of
Canada to track reductions or increases in
releases and transfers. The NPRI also helps
governments determine if regulatory action is
necessary to ensure reductions, and if so, the
form that action should take.
The federal government considers the
information provided by the NPRI vital in its
efforts to reduce releases of substances of
concern to the environment and to the health
of Canadians.
Will the types of information reported to the NPRI change under the CEPA 1999?
The reporting requirements will continue to
be outlined, as they are now, in notices in the
Canada Gazette. Industry will continue to be
provided each year with guidance and
reporting packages by Environment Canada.
The only change is a Ministerial option of
issuing a notice in the Canada Gazette that
may be in effect for up to three years, rather
than a requirement to publish the notice each
year.
What are the types of information that must
be reported to the NPRI?
If a facility meets the NPRI reporting thresholds for
the list of substances specified in the Canada Gazette,
the company must report the following:
- information about the company, its location and
number of employees,
- information about each substance that meets the
reporting requirements, including the substance
name and Chemical Abstracts Service registry, the
nature of the activities (such as whether the
substance is manufactured, processed or otherwise
used at the facility),
- the quantity of the substance that is released at the
facility to water, air or land, underground
injection and/or
- the quantity of the substance that is transferred off
site to another location for final disposal or
treatment prior to disposal and the nature of the
treatment,
- the quantity of each reported substance that is
transferred off-site for recycling and for energy
recovery, and the address of the receiving facility,
- the reasons for year-to-year changes in releases,
transfers and recycling,
- information on anticipated changes (mandatory
for the three years following the reporting year) in
releases, transfers and recycling, and
- information on the types of pollution prevention
activities undertaken at the facility.
Will the NPRI information still be accessible to Canadians?
CEPA 1999 specifically states that the Minister shall
publish a national inventory of releases of pollutants
in any manner that the Minister considers appropriate
(section 50). As in the past, all information reported
to the NPRI that is considered non-confidential will
be made accessible to Canadians.
Will more NPRI information be confidential under CEPA 1999?
The confidentiality provisions (section 52) under CEPA 1999 are essentially the same as those included in CEPA 1988.
Where is there more information on the NPRI?
For more information on the NPRI, including guidance to industry, annual summary reports, the
NPRI Query site and databases, please visit the NPRI site on the Internet, which can be found at:
www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/npri/
Further information:
Internet:
Additional information on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 is available on
Environment Canada's Green Lane on the Internet at: www.ec.gc.ca/ceparegistry
Inquiry Centre:
351 St. Joseph Boulevard
Hull, Quebec K1A 0H3
Telephone: (819) 997-2800
toll-free 1 800 668-6767
Fax: (819) 953-2225
E-mail: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca
March 2000
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