Air emissions inventory
What is an air emissions inventory?
An air emissions inventory is an accounting of air pollutant emissions released over a given time for a given political or geographic area. It can include point (e.g. industrial stack), area (e.g. total home heating in the Edmonton region)and mobile (e.g. cars, trucks, rail) sources. Air emissions inventories can include emissions from both anthropogenic (e.g. industrial, commercial, agricultural, transportation, etc) and natural (e.g. forest fire, vegetation, soil, etc) sources.
Why are air emissions inventories important for Alberta?
Air emissions inventories are a fundamental component of an air quality management system. Air emissions must be measured before they can be managed and reduced. Other components of an air quality management include: goals, policies, ambient objectives, source emission standards, plume dispersion modeling, ambient air and source emission monitoring, environmental reporting, approvals, inspections, enforcement and research.
Air emissions inventories are needed to provide regulators, industry and the public with easy access to the best possible data to make informed decisions. They are also needed in order to develop and evaluate emission reduction scenarios.
A province-wide air emissions inventory is needed for:
- Implementation of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance Particulate Matter and Ozone Management Framework;
- Consistent and efficient Environmental Impact Assessments, EPEA Approval applications and renewals;
- State of the Environment Reporting; and
- Emissions and ambient projections and forecasts.
Existing sources of Alberta emissions data:
- NPRI emissions data: Environment Canada collects emissions data from over 9,000 industrial facilities across Canada through its National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). Facilities that meet certain reporting criteria and whose emissions meet or exceed the set reporting thresholds of NPRI-listed substances are required to report. NPRI data can be searched at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/
- Air emissions summaries: The Air Pollutant Emissions Inventory (APEI) is compiled by Environment Canada and provides emission data for several common air pollutants by province/territory and for all of Canada. The most recent APEI inventory, as well as trends and projections, can be found at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/inrp-npri/default.asp?lang=En&n=2C64C4DA-1
