Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes)

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1 Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes) Undersecretariat for Environmental Protection General Bureau of Air Quality and PRTR Bureau of Industry Regulation and PRTR

2 Background Mexico has developed measures to proect the environment and health from toxic substances associated with human activity: Laws, regulations and standards International treaties Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Environmental audit program

3 PRTR Background Agenda 21 (1992): actions to assess, prevent and control the risks associated with chemicals released in polluting activities Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992): preparation and update of national greenhouse gas inventories OECD (1996): promotion of PRTR as a tool to track and release environmental information

4 Countries with PRTRs Australia Belgium Canada Korea Denmark United States Finland Great Britain Hungary Ireland Italy Japan Norway Netherlands Czech Republic Slovakia Sweden Switzerland Mexico

5 PRTR in North America US Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (1987) Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) (1993) Mexican Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes RETC) (2004) Action Plan to Enhance the Comparability of PRTRs in North America

6 What is the PRTR in Mexico? An environmental policy instrument to compile, integrate and release public information on potential environmentally hazardous pollutants, from a wide variety of sources Release into water Transfer in waste National public database consisting of releases and transfers of 104 substances Soil release Release into air Transfer to sewer Public Information Name: Address: Substance released and/or transferred: Reporting year:

7 Benefits Industry Identifies raw material waste Determines inventory levels Establishes production indices Society Provides environmental information and information on possible risk exposure Government Supports the establishment of environmental policies and enforcement SEMARNAT Academia Information on the development of research projects to support decisionmaking

8 Coordination agreements Scope Improved legal framework Ecological zoning National Development Plan PRTR Waste management Transparency and objectivity National environmental information Direct regulation Air quality programs Sustainable strategic planning

9 PRTR Legal Framework Political will Amendment to Art. 109 BIS Transparency Act PRTR Regulation Amendment to Art.109 Bis of the General Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection Act (LGEEPA), December 2001 Transparency and Access to Information Act, June 2002 (federal) COA form PRTR substance list PRTR Regulation, June 2004 (federal) Ministerial Accords, Electronic annual operating certificate (COA) - List of 104 PRTR reporting substances

10 PRTR Legal Framework Amendment to LGEEPA Art. 109 Bis The Secretariat, states, Federal District and municipalities must create a PRTR within their respective jurisdictions Persons responsible for pollution sources must provide the information necessary to integrate the register Information shall be public and have the effect of reporting

11 PRTR Regulation Article 9 Establishments subject to reporting include: Those listed in LGEEPA Art. 111 Bis Hazardous waste generators Those discharging wastewater into national water bodies

12 PRTR Regulation Art. 25 Public environmental information includes: Name of the individual or corporate name of the establishment Releases and transfers of pollutants Geographical location of the establishment

13 Annual Operating Certificate (COA) I General technical information II Air pollutant releases Reported data III Water releases and transfers IV Hazmat generation and transfer V PRTR substance releases and transfers

14 National PRTR Federal National PRTR State Municipal

15 Federal, State and Municipal Competencies Federal State Municipal Air Release 11 sectors Release State sector Release Service companies Water Release National waters Transfer Sewer Release Soil Hazardous waste Waste Transfer Hazardous waste Transfer Special handling Transfer Municipal solid waste

16 PRTR Substances 6 Greenhouse Gases Climate Change CO 2 CH 4 N 2 O CF HFC SF6 17 Montreal Protocol CFC HCFCs HBFC TET Halons BrM PCBs Aldrin Chlordane DDT Dieldrin Endrin Hexachlorobenzene 12 Persistent organic compounds (POCs) Heptachlor Mirex Toxaphene Dioxins Furans Other substances classified per: Persistence, Bioaccumulation, Toxicity 104 PRTR substances 50 substances comparable to NPRI & TRI

17 Draft Standard on PRTR Substances Technical and methdological bases for establishing a PRTR list (UNAM) Analysis of substances used in industries under federal jurisdiction (IPN) Analysis and assessment of PRTR reporting thresholds (CEC) Analysis of substances used in Mexico on COA, customs, pesticides and toxic substances (Cicoplafest), and chemical industry association (ANIQ) (Semarnat) Development of PRTR substance list (UNAM)