1. Update on Canada’s
National Pollutant Release
Inventory (NPRI)
CEC – Public Meeting of the NA PRTR
Project
October 30, 2012
Jody Rosenberger
Environment Canada

2. Outline
1. Background on the NPRI – What it is, why it exists, pollution
data in context, how the data is shared
2. Changes to the NPRI over time – historical, recent and future
changes to requirements, and improvements to data access
tools
3. Recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General
Page 2 – October 30, 2012

3. About the National Pollutant Release
Inventory (NPRI)
• The NPRI is Canada’s legislated, publicly-accessible inventory of
pollutant releases (to air, water and land), disposals and off-site
recycling. It is Canada’s Pollutant Release and Transfer Register
(PRTR).
• The NPRI includes:
1. Mandatory reporting by facilities to
Environment Canada (EC) on their
pollutant releases and transfers; and
mandatory publication by EC of the data
received. (over 8 000 facilities and 366
listed substances for 2010)
2. Comprehensive air pollutant emission
estimates compiled by EC – national,
provincial and sector estimates from all
emission sources in Canada for specific
air pollutants including persistent organic
pollutants (POPs).
Page 3 – October 30, 2012

4. Why the NPRI Exists
• The NPRI is a major starting point for pollution
information in Canada. It exists to:
– Support priority setting and monitoring of environmental
performance measures
– Contribute to the compilation of pollution patterns and trends
– Provide environmental information in the public interest
– Fulfill international reporting obligations
• Publication of the NPRI is mandated under the
Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA
1999)
Page 4 – October 30, 2012

5. Canada’s Pollution Data in Context
• Data collected and generated through the NPRI is increasingly being
used to support other EC initiatives, including:
– The Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) to assess and manage the
risks from chemicals
– Risk management activities for sectors (e.g. Metal Mining Effluent
Regulations, Pollution Prevention Planning notices)
– Air Quality Management System to manage air pollutant emissions
– Air quality modeling and forecasting
• NPRI Data is complemented by other sources of information, for
example:
– Greenhouse Gas emissions data from the GHG Emissions Reporting
Program and the National GHG Inventory
– Monitoring Data (air and water quality monitoring, etc)
Page 5 – October 30, 2012

6. Sharing of NPRI data
• NPRI query site (Quick, easy to find information on a particular facility)
• Microsoft Excel flat file (most common fields in a simplified spreadsheet format )
• NPRI database – available in Microsoft Access format (Useful for custom
analysis for “technical” users (industry-level analysis, time trends, etc.) )
• NPRI Map Layers for use in Google Earth (Allow users to “explore” NPRI data
in an intuitive and visual way)
Page 6 – October 30, 2012

7. 2010 NPRI Facility-Reported Data
• Latest data available Total Releases, Disposals and Recycling (Off-site)
Reported to the NPRI for 2010
is for 2010 – released
March 27, 2012
• Highlights:
– More than 8 000
facilities submitted
substance reports
– Total releases (air,
water and land) fell by
19% from 2006 to
2010
Page 7 – October 30, 2012

8. The NPRI has expanded since its
inception…
• Since 1993, the first year Growth in Reporting to the NPRI, 1993-2009
of the NPRI, EC has:
500 10000
– Added over 150 450
400
9000
8000
# of Listed Substances or
# of Reporting Facilities
substances, including
Substance Groups
350 7000
300 6000
toxic substances and 250 5000
air pollutants 200
150
4000
3000
100 2000
– Reduced thresholds or 50 1000
established different 0 0
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
00
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
reporting criteria for
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
20
20
19
19
19
20
20
20
20
Year
certain substances # of Listed Substances (Left Scale)
and activities # of facilities reporting a substance report
• Changes over time available at:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/default.asp?lang=En&n=E2BFC2DB-1
Page 8 – October 30, 2012

9. Changes to Reporting Requirements for
NPRI – since 2005 (1)
2006
– Removed mining exemption except for pits and quarries
– Added 3 PAH species
– Added 13 substances to the list of ‘speciated’ VOCs
– Added ‘portable’ facilities (asphalt plants, PCB destruction
units)
2007
– Removed exemption for pits and quarries
– Added 9 PAH species *
– Reporting of dioxins and furans in grams *
– Added total reduced sulphur and road dust reporting
* related to CEC Action Plan for Comparability
Page 9 – October 30, 2012

10. Changes to Reporting Requirements for
NPRI – since 2005 (2)
2008
– Added titanium dioxide pigment manufacturing to the list of
activities for dioxins and furans
2009
– Tailings and Waste Rock reporting (added as of 2009, and
retroactively to 2006)
2010
– Removal of Sulphur Hexafluoride
– Removed requirement to report “anticipated quantities for the
subsequent 3 reporting years”
2011
– Reduced threshold for Selenium (and its compounds) –
reduction to 100 kg MPO and 0.05 ppm concentration
Page 10 – October 30, 2012

11. Potential Future Changes to the NPRI
Requirements
• The following changes are currently being considered:
– Addition of Naphthenic Acids (external proposal)
– Addition of 10 substances recently added to the U.S. TRI
(external proposal)
– Possible changes to reporting of particulate matter (one
threshold for all three fractions) and total reduced sulphur (air
only)
– Review of the NPRI substance list (possible additions,
threshold changes and removals)
– Review of reporting from the oil & gas extraction industry
Page 11 – October 30, 2012

12. Improvements have also been made to
data access tools, with more to come
• Recent Improvements, many of which were driven by input from
stakeholders
– Renewal of NPRI website – “Tracking Pollution in Canada”
– Availability of data as map layers for use with Google Earth
– Linkages between facility-reported NPRI data and other data (air inventories
and GHG reporting) in online search
– Simplified spreadsheet format for commonly used data (as of 2009)
– Addition of new geographic data fields
– Historical data available online back to 1993 (rather than 1994)
• Future improvements include a new online data search and mapping
tool under development to:
– allow integrated searching of NPRI and GHG data; and
– improve multi-year and other search and analysis functionality.
Page 12 – October 30, 2012

13. NPRI is responding to recommendations from the Office
of the Auditor General / Commissioner for Environment
and Sustainable Development (OAG/CESD)
• November 2009 audit report focused on data quality,
and whether the “data in the NPRI is fit for the intended
uses of its clients”.
• Five recommendations were provided, including:
– more regular consultations with NPRI data users;
– developing a strategy for improving data quality;
– improving understanding of coverage and compliance rates by
sector, and by substance (2 recommendations); and
– expanding contextual information provided to data users.
• EC is making progress on an Action Plan to address
each of the recommendations.
– Documents and information being made available on the NPRI
website
Page 13 – October 30, 2012

14. Questions / Comments / Suggestions?
Contact the NPRI
Environment Canada
10th Floor, Fontaine Building
200 Sacré-Coeur Blvd.
Gatineau, Québec
K1A 0H3
Tel: 1-877-877-8375
Fax: (819) 953-2347
E-mail: inrp-npri@ec.gc.ca
NPRI Website:
www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri
Page 14 – October 30, 2012

15. Thank You / Merci / Gracias
Page 15 – October 30, 2012