WHEREAS all industrial undertakings are required to obtain emissions permits from the Ministry of Environment; AND WHEREAS these permits outline the maximum output of contaminants into the environment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, request the Province of British Columbia to require the reporting of Green House Gas Emissions for all point source emitters.
Ministry of Environment Ministry of Environment agrees with spirit of the resolution, and is currently working with Western Climate Initiative partners to design the Essential Requirements for greenhouse gas reporting for the regional cap and trade program. Under current proposals, facilities emitting more than 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in a year would be required to report those emissions administrative feasibility prevents requiring all point sources to report. In some instances the threshold may be set at a similar level or lower, using parameters such as throughput or capacity. The reporting regulation would be brought in by the Ministry of Environment under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Cap and Trade Act, likely during the 2009 calendar year. Environment Canada currently has reporting regulations for emitters greater than 100,000 tonnes and, under Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, has recently received emissions reports to lower thresholds for a select group of industrial facilities.