With ever-changing regulations and standards, industrial facilities are now facing some of the greatest regulatory challenges more than ever. Today, your facility may be in compliance, but tomorrow you may no longer be meeting regulatory standards and limits.
Non-compliance can be caused by numerous factors, including, but not limited to:
- Changes to Ministry approved model and/or terrain versions
- More stringent contaminant standards and limits
- Increase in facility production levels
- Usage of products containing new compounds of concern
- Facility process addition and/or modification
With respect to air emissions, any of the aforementioned causes may put a facility out of compliance. Often, lower contaminant standards and limits are the primary reason, especially for facilities with operations that do not fluctuate significantly from year to year.
The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has developed an Air Contaminants Benchmarks (ACB) list, consisting of all regulated contaminants, which gets updated from time to time. These limits are used to assess compliance within the Emission Summary and Dispersion Modelling (ESDM) report in support of either an Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) application or Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR) registration.
Staying up-to-date with regulatory updates and requirements is key to a business’ success. If the regulatory changes do not significantly affect your facility’s operations, no further actions will be required, and one can continue operating, knowing that they are in compliance. However, if the regulatory changes do in fact impact your emissions and deeming your facility non-compliant, finding out early allows time for exploring cost-effective solutions, and avoid complaints, Ministry inspections, and/or issuance of warning/fines.
With COVID-19, annual reporting deadlines are also changing. Knowing when these deadlines are ensure due dates are met which is crucial for the regulated community.
How We Can Help
At SONAIR, your business’ day-to-day success and continual operation is our priority. Ensuring your facility stays on top of applicable regulatory requirements is what we do best. We also provide assistance with obtaining and maintaining a certificate of property use to ensure compliance with all environmental regulations. Let us take care of your environmental-related obligations by contacting one of our consultants today!
