| Alberta is the biggest air polluter in Canada, emitting more than one billion kilograms of air pollution in 2003, according to a recent report from Pollution Watch.
"Alberta has the most reported air pollution in Canada," says Jennifer Foulds, spokesperson for Pollution Watch. "This list is a snapshot of industrial pollutants."
Included as part of the organization’s so-called "dirty dozen" list are three companies headquartered in Calgary: Syncrude Canada Ltd., TransAlta Utilities Corporation and EnCana Corporation. With only 10 per cent of the country’s population, Alberta was responsible for 25 per cent of Canada’s air pollution.
Based on data from 2003 – the most recent available – the Pollution Watch report analysed information from 8,000 facilities across Canada, which was provided to Environment Canada as part of its national reporting program, the National Pollutant Release Inventory.
"This information demonstrates that both federal and provincial pollution laws are failing Canadians," says Paul Muldoon, executive director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, in a news release. "These pollutants affect the health of all Canadians. Emission reductions by Canadian industry are desperately needed."
The worst offender in Alberta in 2003, according to Pollution Watch, is Syncrude Canada, which came seventh in Canada on the dirty-dozen list. The report says Syncrude was responsible for 2.9 per cent of Canada’s releases of combined air pollution, and released more than one million kilograms of ammonia into the air in 2003, in addition to 821,511 kilograms of sulphuric acid.
Number 8 on the list is TransAlta Utilities, with 2.5 per cent of Canada’s combined air pollution in 2003, followed by EnCana Corporation at number 12 with 1.5 per cent.
Pollution Watch lists Syncrude’s Mildred Lake Plant Site (located in the Wood Buffalo Region of the province) as the most polluting industrial site in Alberta in 2003, releasing 120,025,221 kilograms of materials into the air, including ammonia, sulphuric acid and xylene.
In November 2004, Syncrude received regulatory approval for a $400-million project that would cut the sulphur dioxide emissions at the facility in half. Charles Ruigrok, Syncrude’s chief executive officer, stated that maintaining high air quality in the Wood Buffalo region and managing the cumulative effects of emissions are important issues as the company meets its business goals for planned, sustainable growth.
Erin Gregg, spokesperson for Alberta Environment, the agency responsible for air quality, defends the government of Alberta’s record, saying it is committed to maintaining air quality so that public health and the environment are protected.
"Our strong economy means managing our air pollution must remain a priority," says Gregg in a news release. "Alberta already has – and will continue – to take action to reduce air emissions." In March 2004, the government of Alberta accepted and adopted recommendations from the Clean Air Strategic Alliance (CASA) to continuously improve air emissions standards for electricity generation. All new, coal-fired electricity plants built in Alberta must meet the province's "clean as gas" standard announced in 2001.
"Alberta has made significant progress in curbing air pollution," Gregg adds. "Air pollution in Alberta has actually decreased by 12 per cent from 1995 to 2003. Real-time monitoring of air in Alberta shows air quality is of the highest rating 95 per cent of the time. Air quality in Albertan cities has improved every year over the past two decades."
However, despite recent initiatives by some of Alberta’s energy companies to improve air quality, pollution continues to be a major public health issue. According to Health Canada, more than 5,900 deaths per year can be attributed to exposure to polluted air.
To view the Pollution Watch report in its entirety, go to www.pollutionwatch.org. |
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