St. Marys Air Information Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change December 2017

Transcription

1 St. Marys Air Infrmatin Ministry f the Envirnment and Climate Change December 2017

2 Purpse This year, lcal residents in the Twn f St. Marys have played an active rle reprting cncerns t the Ministry f the Envirnment and Climate Change. The ministry takes all ptential impacts t the envirnment very seriusly and encurage peple t cntinue t reprt their cncerns t the lcal ffice. The fllwing infrmatin is prvided as a resurce fr the residents f St. Marys and utlines the actins currently being undertaken by the ministry t address cncerns related t the industrial facilities in the lcal cmmunity. The ministry will cntinue t wrk with the Twn f St. Marys, lcal residents and industry t address cncerns. The ministry will wrk in partnership with the Twn t prvide updates t this infrmatin as it becmes available. 2

3 Ministry Rle Industrial and cmmercial peratins in Ontari must cmply with the Envirnmental Prtectin Act (EPA) and ther prvincial envirnmental legislatin and regulatins. Ontari businesses must have an envirnmental apprval if the nature f the business causes the release f a cntaminant t land, water r air. The purpse f an envirnmental apprval is t set requirements fr these activities in a way that ensures the prtectin f the natural envirnment. The ministry can issue an Inspectin Reprt requiring the cmpany t undertake peratinal changes/imprvements. If necessary, the ministry can als: Issue Prvincial Officers Orders; Require the cmpany t take steps t address emissins; and/r, Refer the matter fr investigatin t the ministry s Investigatins and Enfrcement Branch. 3

4 Cmplaints Residents f St. Marys are encuraged t ntify the lcal ministry ffice f cncerns related t dur, nise r dust frm nearby facilities. Lcal residents can reprt their cncerns by cntacting: The Lndn District Office at r by at MOECC.Lndn@ntari.ca during regular business hurs; r, The ministry s Spills Actin Centre (SAC), tll-free, 24 hurs a day, at , utside f regular business hurs. Residents are encuraged t cntact SAC utside f regular business hurs (evenings and weekends). Callers are encuraged t prvide the lcatin, date, time, weather cnditins and any ther details when they make their reprt. Residents can als file an annymus reprt by calling the ministry s Pllutin Htline at (1-866-MOE-TIPS). 4

5 Cmplaints If lcal residents suspect dur and dust is riginating frm the St. Marys Cement facility they are strngly encuraged t cntact the Envirnmental Crdinatr Kara Terpstra, at ext. 235 r by at kara.terpstra@vciments.cm. When a cmplaint is filed t the ministry, the lcal Lndn District Office will: Track, lg and analyze dur, nise and dust cmplaints that are received; Cnduct practive bservatins n a scheduled basis and after nrmal business hurs (evenings and weekends); and Cnduct practive and reactive inspectins f lcal facilities, including St. Marys Cement, t ensure that they are in cmpliance with ministry apprvals, where apprpriate. 5

6 Recent Ministry Actin In 2017, lcal residents have played an active rle reprting cncerns t the ministry. The ministry has undertaken several actins t lk at air quality within the lcal cmmunity. The ministry cnducted mbile air quality mnitring arund the Twn f St. Marys ver nine days frm August 2016 t Nvember In July 2017, the ministry installed a temprary air mnitring statin within the Twn f St. Marys t cllect air quality data, t help identify the cncentratins f particulate matter, nitrgen xides, and sulphur dixide in the cmmunity. The ministry expects t cntinue cllecting data fr at least ne year t bserve changes ver seasns and t prvide a mre cmprehensive dataset. 6

7 Recent Ministry Actin In August 2017, the ministry issued a revised Envirnmental Cmpliance Apprval (ECA) t St. Marys Cement. In additin t ther cnditins, the amended ECA requires the cmpany t cntinue t implement a Best Management Practices Plan (BMPP) fr the management f fugitive dust emissins frm the facility, cnduct stack testing and t prepare and implement an dur abatement plan. The cnditins related t air emissins impsed thrugh the ECA will further safeguard the envirnment by requiring St. Marys Cement t maintain their peratins, reprt any nn cmpliance and take immediate actin t safeguard the envirnment, shuld it be required. As part f the amended ECA, the cmpany is als required t test the emissins frm their facility. The purpse f the test is t determine the rates f emissins fr varius cmpunds and t evaluate if the facility is in cmpliance with the air quality standards fr Ontari. This testing ccurred Nvember 29-30, 2017 and ministry staff were present t mnitr lcal air quality and als t ensure that it was cnducted in accrdance with the cnditins f the ECA. The cmpany will be required t submit the reprt with the results f the testing t the ministry fr review by the end f January

8 Next Steps The ministry will cntinue t wrk with the lcal residents, the twn and lcal industry t address cmplaints. Residents are encuraged t ntify the lcal ministry ffice f cncerns frm nearby facilities, including St. Marys Cement. Ministry technical staff will be further analyzing the data frm the ministry s 2016 mbile air mnitring, the 2017 mbile air mnitring, and the data frm ur temprary air mnitr. The ministry expects t share preliminary results with the lcal health unit in early The health unit will d an independent analysis f the data. The ministry als expects t share the data with the Twn fr psting n the municipal webpage. The ministry will hst a public meeting in spring 2018, in the Twn f St. Marys, t share the results f this data and the health unit s analysis with the cmmunity. 8

9 Additinal Resurces Fr mre infrmatin abut the rle f the Ministry f the Envirnment and Climate Change please visit: Fr mre infrmatin abut durs in the envirnment please visit: Cpies f Envirnmental Apprvals fr the varius facilities in St. Marys Area are available nline at: Mre infrmatin abut the St. Marys Cement Cmmunity Liaisn Cmmittee (CLC) is available n the cmpany s website at: Liaisn-Cmmittee.aspx 9