The work described in this report builds upon existing North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) supported activities related to air quality impacts associated with transport along trade corridors. The goal of the proposed work was to evaluate the current availability of data to assess community exposures related to emissions at congested border crossings. The […]
The focus of this report, and the background papers and analyses on which it draws, is how best to examine the environmental effects of trade on Canada, Mexico and the United States, the three signatories to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Within the context of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) initiative on Children’s Health and the Environment in North America, approaches to risk assessment, as a basis for regulatory decision-making, is a topic of interest among the three countries. In particular, there is an interest in exchanging experiences and advancing methods and approaches for incorporating […]
In 1997 the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States committed to the North American Regional Action Plan on Mercury under the auspices of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The Regional Action Plan provides a path forward in domestic and trilateral efforts to reduce the mercury exposure of North American ecosystems, fish and wildlife, and humans through the prevention and reduction of anthropogenic mercury releases. The ultimate goal is to achieve a reduction in releases of mercury through appropriate national and international initiatives.
In 1997 the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States agreed to a North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on mercury, intended to support the domestic and trilateral efforts to reduce the exposure of North American ecosystems, flora and fauna, and especially humans, to mercury. The ultimate goal of this NARAP is to prevent […]
This paper is developed for the CEC’s Expert Advisory Board on Children’s Health and the Environment in North America. It provides background on health professional education in children’s health and the environment, and summarizes related ongoing activities in North America, analyzes gaps and provides several options for Expert Advisory Board consideration. Information presented in this […]
This issue paper discusses the process for determining and handling confidential business information under the three PRTR programs in North America.
This issue paper discusses reporting thresholds used by each national PRTR. Reporting thresholds are applied to determine whether a facility has to report for a particular chemical. There are thresholds relating to the number of employees at the facility and thresholds relating to the amount of the chemical.
The Ad Hoc PRTR Group is a small informal network of volunteers from academia, industry and nongovernmental groups who share an interest in promoting the understanding and use of PRTR data. Started in 2001, the group has developed a brochure on PRTRs entitled . The brochure presents quotations from industrial leaders, community groups and governments in the three countries describing their experiences with PRTRs. Copies in English, French and Spanish are available for distribution from the CEC and also from the CEC web site.
The generation of electricity from the burning of fossil fuels is a significant source of air pollutants and greenhouse gases in North America. For example, the electricity generation sector in Canada and the United States during 1998 had the greatest total reported toxic releases, on- and off-site, among all industry sectors reporting in the two countries.
The NARAP on environmental monitoring and assessment provides a framework for a regional-scale strategy (based on geographic/climatic regions) for monitoring and assessing persistent toxic substances in the North American environment.
