MB Civic

Canadian Press
 
Updated: Sat. Dec. 23 2006 9:33 AM ET

OTTAWA — Efforts to curb pollution in North America have taken a blow from a U.S. decision this week to exempt thousands of facilities from having to publicly report their toxic releases.

 

In a little-noticed move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency quadrupled the threshold for toxic releases which do not have to be publicly reported. Experts say the change threatens a key NAFTA database which has proven to be a powerful tool in curbing emissions.

 

“This will likely result in less reporting, some chemicals may not even come up into the public view,” said Keith Chanon, a senior official at the Montreal-based Commission for Environmental Co-operation.

 

Every year the commission publishes a report, Taking Stock, listing releases of 200 chemicals identified by the U.S. and Canadian governments as being of health and environmental concern.

 

The report, published since 1993, identifies the worst polluters and ranks jurisdictions according to their emission levels. It generates extensive media attention and is widely credited with bringing levels down.

 

“Bringing this information out into the public eye has helped to make companies much more accountable in their chemical uses and releases and has thus resulted in them taking action,” said Chanon.

 

Under the new rules, U.S. facilities will not be required to file reports if they release less than 4,100 kg, compared with the previous threshold of 1,100 kg.

 

It will now be hard to compare U.S. releases with those in Canada, which has no equivalent threshold. Yet data comparability is a stated goal of the three NAFTA countries, said Chanon.

 

“Comparability enables us to look across North America and look at trends. If there is a large divergence between Canada and the U.S. it points to some kind of technology gap and shows there might be a better process.”

 

Tom Natan, research director with U.S.-based National Environmental Trust, says 3,600 U.S. facilities will not longer have to file reports – 15 per cent of the total.

 

Most of those are smaller facilities where releases have been rising fastest, he said. “If we’re not getting information from these we have every reason to think emissions will increase,” he said.

 

“Every year we learn that smaller and smaller amounts of exposure to toxic chemicals can cause harm. So for the EPA to have said we think releases before this threshold are safe is absurd on its face.”

 

Fe de Leon of the Canadian Environmental Law Association said she is very disappointed at the EPA decision.

 

“What does this mean? Will Canada follow suit?. That would be a dangerous path to follow.”