2014 – 2015 NPRI Reporting Changes

The Department of the Environment published in Canada Gazette Part I, July 12, 2014 edition, Notice with respect to the substances in the National Pollutant Release Inventory for 2014 and 2015, pursuant to subsection 46(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). Within this Notice, several significant changes to reporting requirements have been made, which are in effect as of the 2014 calendar year.

New substances added include:

2-(2-Methoxyethoxy)ethanol ((10-tonne mass threshold, 1% concentration threshold).
Thalium (100 kg threshold, 1% concentration threshold)

Several substances have reduced reporting thresholds for the upcoming reporting year as well – the following substances :

Acrylonitrile (1000 tonne threshold, 1% concentration)
Bisphenol A (100 tonne threshold, 1% concentration)
Hydrazine (and its salts) (1000 tonne threshold, 1% concentration)
Isoprene (100 tonne threshold, 1% concentration)
Nonylphenol and its ethoxylates (1000 tonne threshold, 1% concentration)
Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (100 tonne threshold, 0.1% concentration)
Toluene-2,6-diisocyanate(100 tonne threshold, 0.1% concentration)
Toluenediisocyanate (mixed isomers) (100 tonne threshold, 0.1% concentration)
Quinoline has been moved from Part 1, Group A to Part 2 (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). The 10 tonne mass threshold has been reduced to 50 kilograms for total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including quinoline, and 5 kilograms for reporting quinoline itself.

Five substances have been removed from the NPRI, and are no longer subject to reporting requirements:

Allyl chloride (CAS RN 107-05-1),
C.I. Solvent Orange 7
3-Chloro-2-methyl-1-propene
Ethyl chloroformate; and
1-Bromo-2-chloroethane
Total Reduced Sulphur - the requirement to report releases to land and water, disposals and transfers for recycling for total reduced sulphur has been removed. Only releases of total reduced sulphur to air are required to be reported.

Underground Releases
Environmental Petition 317, submitted to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada in June 2011, requested that companies be required to report substances released through the use of hydraulic fracturing fluids to extract shale gas, and the injection of solvents at in situ oil sands facilities. In developing this notice, Environment Canada considered possible changes to the NPRIrequirements to address the requests in Petition 317.

In response to the request for reporting of solvent use for in situ oil sands facilities, it has been made explicit in this notice that releases to land that are not for the purposes of disposal are to include both underground and surface releases, to ensure that it is clear that underground releases must be reported.

No changes were made related to reporting of substances used in hydraulic fracturing fluid. As such, the exemption for oil and gas exploration and drilling and the 20 000-hour employee threshold continue to apply to hydraulic fracturing activities.

The NPRI Notice applies to any person (company) who owns or operates a facility described in Schedule 3 of the Notice (Criteria for Reporting) and who possesses, or has access to, information described in Schedule 4 (Information Required by this Notice and Manner of Reporting).

The deadline for reporting 2014 and 2015 data is June 1st, 2015 and June 1st, 2016 respectively. The list of changes is available at http://ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/default.asp?lang=En&n=F2000A98-1.

Canadian Water and Wastewater Association