2.0 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

Ambient Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone

1. The Commission encourage the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to adopt, during this year, a Canada-wide Standard for ozone of 65 ppb, 8 hour average, to be attained no later than the year 2010.

Status of Smog and Acid Rain Management Programs

With respect to the Ontario Strategic Attack on Air Pollution, the Commission should seek the following enhancements:

  1. the inclusion of gas fired units within any nitrogen oxides cap for Ontario electrical generation facilities;

  2. rather than the current cap of 36 kt/year on NO emissions, a commitment to a lower cap of 21.6 kilotonnes/year from all combustion electrical generation facilities consistent with application of the USEPA NO 2 performance benchmark for such facilities of 0.15 lb of NO 2 /mmBTU (0.65 kg/MWh);

  3. an acceleration of the province-wide, multi-sectoral programs for SO 2 , NO X , and VOCs to an attainment year of not later than 2010, with ongoing and careful review to determine if reduction actions are adequate to meet air quality objectives; and,

  4. assurances that the use of emissions trading not allow total SO 2 and NO X emissions to exceed the province-wide targets established by Ontario.

Mobile Sources: Diesel Emissions

1. The Commission should recommend that the governments of the United States and Canada move to adopt standards limiting the sulphur content of diesel fuel, so as to enable the introduction of advanced, reliable, and durable high level control systems for NO X and particulate matter on diesel engines. These sulphur standards will likely lead to a diesel fuel with an estimated 5 ppm sulphur content. The infrastructure to produce and deliver this fuel must be place in the year 2006 to support emission standards applicable to the 2007 model year vehicles.

Toxics and Persistent Toxics

Mercury

1. The Commission should recommend to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment that data on mercury emissions from individual facilities be made available to the public through the CCME website and other means. If absolutely necessary, provisions could be made for the exclusion of process (not emissions) details from this information due to confidentiality agreements; the rationale for doing so should be described.

Dioxin

1. The Commission should recommend the governments recognize the significant contribution of the backyard open burning of trash to the total burden of dioxin on the Great Lakes system, and ensure that the curtailing of this activity will be integrated into plans and strategies to eliminate loadings of dioxin to the Great Lakes.