The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI)
What is the NPRI? • Canada’s inventory of pollutants: – Releases to air, water and land – Disposals and transfers for treatment and recycling • Data is available from 1993 to present • Close to 7,500 facilities report to the NPRI each year • Over 300 pollutants are listed on the NPRI
Why the NPRI exists? • The NPRI and publication of data collected in mandated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 . • The NPRI is a key resource for identifying and monitoring sources of pollution in Canada. • Public “right -to- know” • NPRI data can be used to: – Encourage actions to reduce the release of pollutants into the environment; – Improve public understanding; and – Inform other government programs.
Who currently reports to the NPRI? • Industrial sectors: – E.g.: Oil and gas extraction, forest products mills, petroleum refineries, mining, metal manufacturing, chemical manufacturing • Treatment facilities: – E.g.: Waste treatment and disposal, sewage treatment • Service facilities: – E.g.: Electric power generation, airports, cargo handling, research and development • Government facilities: – E.g.: Department of National Defence and Public Services and Procurement Canada, municipal operations
Reporting requirements • NPRI reporting requirements are published in Part I of the Canada Gazette (the official newspaper of the Government of Canada) every 2 years • The NPRI is a mandatory survey • Facilities must report to the NPRI if they: – Have a certain number of employees (~ 10 full time employees); or – Carry out certain listed activities (e.g. incineration, municipal sewage treatment, stationary fuel combustion, etc.) and – Exceed certain quantities of substances
Which substances are on the NPRI? • Over 300 substances are listed on the NPRI, including: – Toxic substances (e.g. asbestos, bisphenol A, benzene) – Heavy metals (e.g. mercury, lead and cadmium) – Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – Dioxins and furans – Air pollutants (e.g. sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides) – Other substances of concern • The substances are divided into groups with their own set of reporting criteria. These are based on: – Quantity of a substance that is manufactured, processed or used at the facility; or – Quantity of a substance that is released from the facility; or – Occurrence of certain activities at the facility (e.g. incineration) • The full list of substances is available on the NPRI website.
What is reported to the NPRI? Quantities Direct releases to: air, surface water, and land. Each type of release is also broken down into sub categories such as stack emissions, spills and leaks, direct discharges, etc. Disposals (on- or off-site): landfill, land application, tailings & waste rock, underground injection Transfers (off-site) for: treatment, recycling or energy recovery (including the destination of the transfer)
What is reported to the NPRI? (2) Other information collected includes • Facility information: ownership, location, sector type • How each substance is used at the facility: for sale, as a by-product, as an additive, etc. • Pollution prevention activities • Reasons for changes compared to quantities reported in previous years • Voluntary comments to provide additional information
Who uses NPRI data? Examples of data users include: • Governments and international organizations • Industry associations and individual companies • Non-government organizations • Academics • Media • General Canadian public • Financial institutions
Standard NPRI timelines
Support to reporting facilities • Support is provided to facilities in order to assist them with reporting to the NPRI. These include: – General guidance to explain the requirements ▪ Summary of the NPRI Reporting Requirements ▪ Guide for Reporting to the NPRI ▪ Questions and Answers ▪ Video Tutorials – NPRI Toolbox ▪ Technical guidance (e.g. info on estimation methods) ▪ Estimation tools and calculators ▪ Links to external resources (e.g., U.S. EPA) – NPRI helpdesk ▪ Phone: 1-877-877-8375 ▪ Email: ec.inrp-npri.ec@canada.ca
Tools for accessing NPRI data • All the data products are available in various formats on the NPRI website, and through the Government of Canada’s Open data portal. • NPRI online data search (query site): 1. Search to find information on a particular facility, substance or location 2. Tables of data by, for example, province, industry type and substance • NPRI datasets and mapping products: 1. NPRI map layers for use with Google Earth allow you to “explore” NPRI data in an intuitive and visual way 2. Downloadable data files in various formats (.csv, Excel and Access).
What can the NPRI data show us? • Pollutant releases, disposals and transfers: – for the last reporting year – trends over time – profiles of industrial sectors – profiles by province or by city – near you • Pollution prevention activities • Annual summary reports are available
Can the NPRI requirements be changed? • Anyone can propose changes to the NPRI reporting requirements, such as additions and deletions of substances and changes to reporting requirements. • Proposed changes are evaluated against a set of criteria as outlined in the Process for proposing and considering changes to the NPRI . • Proposed changes undergo consultation with the NPRI Multi- Stakeholder Work Group and are posted on the NPRI website for a public comment period.
How the NPRI requirements changed over time • Since the start of the NPRI, the program has expanded to better meet the needs of data users. • Over 150 substances have been added. • Environment and Climate Change Canada has increased the number of facilities required to report by making stricter reporting requirements and by removing certain exemptions. • A list of changes to NPRI requirements over time is available on the NPRI website.
Contact the NPRI Tel: 1-877-877-8375 E-mail: ec.inrp-npri.ec@canada.ca NPRI Website
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