National Pollutant Releases Inventory Reporting Notice Issued by Environment Canada

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) notice for 2012 and 2013 was issued by Environment Canada in the Canada Gazette late last year. Learn more about this notice and what it could mean for you.

02 April 2013

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) notice for 2012 and 2013 was issued by Environment Canada in the Canada Gazette on December 29, 2012 and lists 366 substances (or classes of substances) that are of interest to the Canadian authorities. Any person owning or operating a facility in Canada that meets the criteria laid out in the notice is required to submit the amount of each reportable substance that meets the reporting thresholds, as they are released to air, land, water and waste. The reporting deadline for data collected in the 2012 calendar year is June 1, 2013 and information should be submitted through Environment Canada's Single Window Information Manager online reporting system.

All information collected through the NPRI program is analyzed by the Canadian government and is made publicly available on the NPRI website. If you meet the reporting requirements, please make sure to start preparing your report as soon as possible, as the calculations required to determine pollutant releases can be complex and time-consuming to perform. It's important to note that, if a company meets the reporting requirements but either fails to report, fails to report on time, or submits information that they know to be false, they face penalties under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999.

Do you have questions about the NPRI or related topic? Share your comments or questions below and our expert, Joyce Borkhoff, will get back to you.

Today's expert blogger is Joyce Borkhoff. Joyce is the Director of the Intertek Chemicals Group and is well known for her ability to effectively characterize and communicate the impacts of the regulatory environment on the chemical industry. She is frequently invited to contribute to trade magazines and to present her advice and experience to a wide range of SME and large multi-national audiences. Her technical and regulatory experience and her deep knowledge of the North American Chemical Industry makes Ms. Borkhoff uniquely qualified to provide practical, best-in-class service to help meet and understand the requirements of the Canadian Chemical Management Plan (CMP) including the Challenge to Industry and the DSL Inventory Update.

Tags: 2013 | Chemicals | Joyce Borkhoff