2010 Progress Report - International Joint Commission

Progress Report 2010
To ensure that the 5 kt cap is met for the Quebec
portion of the PEMA, Quebec’s Draft Air Quality
Regulation is introducing a specifi c cap of 2100
tonnes per year for the Sorel-Tracy plant. This plant is
used mainly during peak periods, and it easily met the
cap in 2008, with 109 tonnes of NO x
emissions.
Proposed National Guideline on
Renewable Low-impact Electricity
Control and reduce NO x
emissions in accordance
with a proposed national Guideline on Renewable
Low-impact Electricity.
A notice of a draft Guideline on Renewable Low-impact
Electricity (Green Power Guideline) was published in
the Canada Gazette, Part I, in 2001. This guideline
was developed to provide national guidance on
environmentally preferable electricity products and
their generation in Canada, and to establish criteria
for environmental labelling of qualifying electricity
products under the EcoLogo M Program. Certifi cation
criteria derived from the draft guideline are being used
to certify qualifying electricity products. Most Canadian
provinces have developed their own specifi cations
and requirements for renewable low-impact electricity.
Notably, British Columbia and New Brunswick require
their facilities to meet the certifi cation criteria for
renewable low-impact electricity, as defi ned by
the EcoLogo M Program. The EcoLogo M certifi cation
criteria for Renewable Low-Impact Electricity are
being reviewed and updated to promote continuous
improvement in the environmental performance of
this industry. Issuance of updated criteria is planned
for 2011.
Measures to Reduce VOCs
Reduce VOC emissions by developing two
regulations—one on dry cleaning and another
on solvent degreasing—and using VOC emission
limits for new stationary sources.
The fi nal provision of the Tetrachloroethylene
(Use in Dry Cleaning and Reporting Requirements)
Regulations came into effect in August 2005.
The environmental objective of the Regulations is
to reduce the ambient tetrachloroethylene (PERC)
concentration in the air to below 0.3 μg/m 3
(micrograms per cubic metre). The risk management
goal of the Regulations is to reduce tetrachloroethylene
use in dry cleaning in Canada to less than 1,600 tonnes
per year. In June 2009, Environment Canada completed
a use pattern study and a statistical analysis of the 2006
ambient air concentrations of tetrachloroethylene across
Canada, indicating that both the regulatory objective
and goal have been achieved.
The Solvent Degreasing Regulations, which took
effect in July 2003, froze the consumption of
trichloroethylene (TCE) and PERC in affected cold
and vapour-solvent degreasing facilities for three
years (2004 to 2006) at then-current levels based
on historical use. Beginning in 2007, the annual
consumption levels were reduced by 65% for
affected facilities.
Measures for NO x
and VOC Emissions
to Attain the CWS for Ozone
If required to achieve the CWS for ozone in the
PEMA by 2010, measures will be in place to reduce
NO x
emissions by 2005 and implemented between
2005 and 2010 for key industrial sectors and
measures to reduce VOC emissions from solvents,
paints, and consumer products.
The CWS committed provincial jurisdictions to
developing implementation plans outlining the
comprehensive actions being taken within each
jurisdiction to achieve the standards. As the province
of Quebec is not a signatory to the CWS, it is not
required to develop an implementation plan. However,
the following sections describe the measures that
Quebec and Ontario have put in place to reduce
emissions of NO x
and VOCs.
Ontario’s implementation plan for reducing smogcausing
emissions includes the Industry Emissions—
Nitrogen Oxides and Sulphur Dioxide Regulation
(O. Reg. 194/05) which will lead to incremental
reductions of NO x
and SO 2
from facilities in seven
industrial sectors. Since 2006, NO x
and SO 2
emissions from facilities regulated under Regulation
194/05 have shown a downward trend due to a
number of factors including lower economic activity
and some facility improvements. More signifi cant
reductions are expected in 2010, as O. Reg. 194/05
requires a stricter cap. Further details on Ontario’s
implementation plan can be found at www.ene.gov.on.ca/
programs/4708e.htm. More information on Ontario’s
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