tracking pollutant releases and transfers in north america to support sustainability
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Tracking Pollutant Releases and Transfers in North America to Support
Sustainability
The North American PRTR Project
TRI Conference, Washington, DCApril 10-13, 2012
Goals and Objectives: Enhanced access to and awareness of the sources, amounts and
management of pollutants of concern across North America Increased comparability, quality and completeness of North American
PRTR data, esp. for developing sector pollutant profiles NAPRTR data in support of decision-making at all levels (communities,
industry, governments) for pollution prevention and reduction.
Activities: Taking Stock Online: Integrated North American PRTR database and tools Taking Stock report: annual publication with analyses of PRTR data and
North American health and environmental issues Tri-lateral collaboration on comparability in the areas of data reporting,
collection, and quality assurance of PRTR data Outreach and development of relationships with stakeholder
communities via Taking Stock, our annual public meeting, webinars.
• Canada’s NPRI
• US TRI
• Mexico’s RETC
About 35,000 PRTR Reporting Facilities
Taking Stock: Report and Website
Taking Stock Online Query Results: Releases to Water
North American Watersheds and Facilities Reporting Releases to Water
Taking Stock Online: Cross-Border Transfers
Taking Stock Online and Sustainability
• Gaining a better understanding of facilities’ pollutant releases and waste management practices
• Comparing one facility’s releases to those of other facilities from the same company, or in the same sector across North America, and establishing benchmarking for pollution reductions
• Verifying corporate environmental reports against reported PRTR information
• Researching sustainable alternatives.
Total reported: over 4.9 billion kg
Releases to air: 542 million kg, 444 pollutants
– 5 pollutants = 63% (hydrochloric acid = 25%)– US & Mexican fossil fuel power plants are major source
Releases to water: 211 million kg, 257 pollutants – Nitrates and ammonia = 91%, contribute to nutrient loading and aquatic “dead zones”– Canadian municipal sewage treatment plants are major source
Releases to land: 841 million kg, 214 pollutants
– Zinc, lead, barium, copper, manganese and arsenic compounds = 87%– US metal ore mining facilities are a major source
Releases to underground injection: 421 million kg, 151 pollutants AND releases to disposal: 733 million kg, 357 pollutants
– Hydrogen sulfide and total reduced sulfur = approx. 75% – Canadian oil & gas extraction operations are a major source.
2.1 billion kg in off-site transfers were reported (80% of these to recycling) Almost 182 million kg were cross-border transfers, e.g.:
– 80% of Canadian transfers to the US were sulfuric acid sent by petroleum and coal products manufacturers for recycling
– US primary metal manufacturers transferred:
• Over 4 million kg of lead compounds to Canada for recycling;
• over 21 million kg of zinc compounds to Mexico for recycling (but zinc is not subject to Mexico’s RETC)
– Mexico transferred over 6 million kg to US facilities, most of it 1,2-Dichloroethane sent by the chemical manufacturing sector for disposal.
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
Taking Stock Online: – integration of three additional data years, 2009 data overview, enhanced tools (Released on March 15, 2012)
Taking Stock report: Feature Analysis of Changes in Pollutant Releases over Time (Fall 2012)
Trilateral Collaboration: Update of the Action Plan to Enhance the Comparability of PRTRs in North America
Outreach: Webinar on Taking Stock Online (Spring/summer 2012); and public meeting of the North American PRTR Project (Canada, Fall 2012)
The NAPRTR Project: Progress on Activities
For more information:
Orlando Cabrera RiveraProgram Manager,Air Quality/PRTR
Telephone: (514) 350-4300Fax: (514) 350-4314Email: ocabrera@cec.orgwww.cec.org/takingstock
Three countries. One environment.
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