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.