Blue Heron Deaths Results in $2.75M Fine
On January 2, 2019 Syncrude Canada Ltd. pled guilty in the Alberta Court to one count of violating the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 along with several provincial charges. An abandoned sump pond by Syncrude at one of its oilsands mines north of Fort McMurray resulted in the death of 3…
View the post titled Blue Heron Deaths Results in $2.75M FineBird-building collisions and ECAs
The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (“MOECC”) has posted to the Environmental Registry (“ER”) a proposal for a draft regulatory amendment to exempt reflective building surfaces (such as the windows of office buildings) from requiring an Environmental C…
View the post titled Bird-building collisions and ECAsDust in the wind: big fine for blowing tailings dust
The recent conviction of Unimin Canada Ltd (R v Unimin Canada Ltd, 2015 CarswellOnt 11640) underscores again the potential regulatory costs of failing to take appropriate preventative measures to ensure compliance with the Environmental Protection Act, RSO 1990, c E.19 (“EPA”)&…
View the post titled Dust in the wind: big fine for blowing tailings dustObama’s Clean Power Plan: “There is such a thing as being too late”
In a passionate announcement on Monday, President Barack Obama unveiled the United States’ plan for doing its part to combat climate change: the Clean Power Plan (the “Plan”). The Plan sets out to reduce greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions from power stations, which comprise the single largest …
View the post titled Obama’s Clean Power Plan: “There is such a thing as being too late”$350,000+ fine for cement plant dust and noise
Essroc Canada Inc. was fined $350,000, plus the victim fine surcharge of $87,500, for dust and noise from its cement manufacturing facility near Picton. The fine was suggested jointly by the company and by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. Essroc pleaded guilty to disch…
View the post titled $350,000+ fine for cement plant dust and noiseTelling legitimate recycling from shams
Last week’s post on “recycling” batteries by turning them into roadbed aggregate, via mill slag, raised the question of what constitutes “legitimate” recycling. The US Environmental Protection Agency has been struggling with this issue for decades; claims to tur…
View the post titled Telling legitimate recycling from shamsSupreme Court will hear important appeal: is flying rock a discharge?
When governments adopt surprising new interpretations of existing laws, shouldn’t they have to tell the regulated community before they start prosecuting them?
View the post titled Supreme Court will hear important appeal: is flying rock a discharge?US EPA working on standards for gas fracking water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a schedule to develop standards for wastewater discharges produced by natural gas extraction from underground coal bed and shale formations (“fracking”).
View the post titled US EPA working on standards for gas fracking waterLead from airplanes still widespread
In 2003, Friends of the Earth petitioned the US EPAto get lead out of aviation gasoline. While there had been much discussion about taking lead out of racing vehicle gasoline, aviation gasoline actually releases much more lead into the environment than racing.
View the post titled Lead from airplanes still widespreadOzone: health or money?
Despite strong scientific evidence that current permitted ozone levels cause harm to human health, President Obama has decided not to cut them. This will likely lead to lawsuits, as the Clean Air Act requires EPA to set air levels that protect human health. And Canada, as usual, will probabl…
View the post titled Ozone: health or money?Receive Blog Posts
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