advocacy with regulatory agencies
Most permits issued by a regulatory agency will include conditions on plant operations which impose extensive obligations on the facility and can be restrictive if they do not appropriately take into account the facility requirements. We have been involved in supporting negotiations between our clients and regulatory agencies for Comprehensive ECA and Control Order situations for facilities such as Petro-Canada (Mississauga), Essar Steel (Sault Ste Marie), Tonolli (Mississauga), Vale (Inco in Sudbury), Glencore (Xstrata, Falconbridge).Dispersion Modeling for Regulation
Estimating the impact of emissions from a facility normally involves the use of approved models of dispersion and modelling protocols. Our thorough knowledge of the atmospheric processes which drive dispersion paired with an in-depth understanding of the details of model behaviour allow us to custom design or alter source configurations to satisfy regulatory criteria. Our expertise includes application of the following models:- EPA Gaussian models of AERMOD and its predecessors
- CALMET and CALPUFF models
- California roadway dispersion models
- heavy gas models such as DEGADIS
- grid models of meteorology and transport
Permitting and Compliance
The permitting process has become very complex, and can involve multi-pollutant and multi-media issues, technology assessment, specialized modelling, as well as interaction with the affected public and regulators at several levels of government.
Our familiarity with Ontario regulations, as well as regulatory agencies across North America comes from experience. We have prepared ESDM and application documents for facilities such as Suncor, Essar Steel, Tonolli, Bombardier, NEM LNG. We have provided the modelling and design support for many facilities such as Honda of Canada Mfg., St. Mary’s Cement, Mancuso Chemicals, Miller HMA and Quarry operations, Humber Water Treatment Plant, Enwave, Creemore Brewery, and Carpenter Foam.
For more information, see Industries We Serve.
Process Emission Inventory Development
The facility level emission inventory starts with a detailed knowledge of the processes and operations which are typical of the industry and their specific implementation within the facility, and experience in developing estimates of emissions for these or similar processes. We have developed facility level emission inventories for:| petrochemical facilities | Suncor Refinery, Sarnia; Petro-Canada Lubricants Plant, Mississauga; Petro-Canada Refinery, Oakville; Bulk Storage Terminals in Toronto, London and Sarnia |
|---|---|
| primary smelters | Glencore (Xstrata, Falconbridge, Noranda Horne, Gaspe, and CEZ); Teck (Cominco) Lead Smelter at Trail |
| integrated steel plants | Essar Steel (Algoma, Sault Ste Marie) |
| auto assembly plants | Honda of Canada Manufacturing, Alliston; GM at Ste. Therese, Oshawa and St. Catharines |
| cement plants | St. Mary’s, Bowmanville; Lafarge, Bath |
| chemical plants | Mancuso, Niagara Falls |
| secondary lead smelters | Tonolli, Mississauga |
| energy | OPG at Nanticoke, LNG facility, Thorold |