Environmentally Sound Management of Spent Lead-acid Batteries in North America
Given the ongoing and shared interest among Canada, Mexico and the United States to foster environmentally sound management (ESM) in the recycling of spent lead-acid batteries (SLABs), in 2014 the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) of North America began the development of technical guidelines on ESM practices for secondary lead smelters and other facilities that process SLABs.
Reducing Air Pollution at Land Ports of Entry: Recommendations for Canada, Mexico and the United States
Increased traffic at North American land ports of entry (POEs) associated with transportation of goods affects air quality in border communities and beyond. In its 2013–2014 Operational Plan, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has provided support for researching and developing viable, integrated options for the implementation of vehicle emission-reduction mechanisms at selected land POEs.
Improving Green Building Construction in North America
Environmental impacts of buildings and the costs of construction projects can be significantly reduced through the use of an integrated design, delivery and operations process. The definition and application of this building approach, however, varies widely across industry sectors and regulatory jurisdictions in North America. This guide, which draws on the 2013 report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), Improving Conditions for Green Building Construction in North America: Enhancing Capabilities of the Green Workforce, outlines five main steps for success in implementing an integrated design and delivery process.
Enhancing Trilateral Understanding of Flame Retardants and Their Use in Manufactured Items
Flame retardants are chemical compounds that exhibit properties that prevent or delay the development of flames in items manufactured for use in indoor settings. These chemical compounds can either chemically react or physically bind to the components of manufactured items, such as plastics, textiles, and coatings—which pose a risk of spreading flames.
Enhancing Trilateral Understanding of Flame Retardants and Their Use in Manufactured Items
Canada, Mexico, and the United States, in their roles as Parties to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), have taken a common interest in carrying out a case study to better understand the presence of 16 emerging flame retardants in consumer products. As a result, a project entitled Enhancing Trilateral Understanding of Flame Retardants and Their Use in Manufactured Items (CEC 2014) is being supported under the CEC’s Operational Plan 2013–2014, through a project team consisting of representative members from the CEC Secretariat, Health Canada (HC), Environment Canada (EC), Instituto Nacional de Ecología y Cambio Climático (INECC) under the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (Semarnat), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Close-out Report: North American Regional Action Plan on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
This report represents the close-out report for the North American Regional Action Plan (NARAP) on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (EMA) of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). It provides an overview of the objectives and action items contemplated under this NARAP, highlights the results achieved, and draws conclusions about the success of this […]
Framework Document for a North American Bus and Heavy-duty Truck Sector Partnership
The CEC’s Improving the Economic and Environmental Performance of the North American Truck and Bus Manufacturing Supply Chainproject aims to create a foundation for North American public-private collaboration within the bus and heavy-duty truck manufacturing sector, similar to the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP) and Alianza Verde Automotriz (AVA) for the North American automotive manufacturing sector.
Environmentally Sound Management of End-of-Life Batteries from Electric-Drive Vehicles in North America
The market for electric-drive vehicles (EDVs), including hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and electric, pure battery-powered vehicles (EVs), is expected to experience significant and rapid growth over the coming decades. In the year 2013 all EDVs together represent about 1.44 percent of annual vehicle sales in Canada, about 0.09 percent in Mexico and about 3.81 percent in the US, and numbers are expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. As the market for EDVs expands, there will be a vital opportunity to recapture and recycle the materials used in EDV batteries (nickel, cobalt, steel and other valuable components) once they reach end of life (EOL).
North American Ranching Industries, Beef Cattle Trade, and Grasslands: Status and Trends
These sets of infographics stem from CEC-funded efforts to chronicle recent trends in the North American cattle ranching industry and beef cattle trade, and the grasslands that support these vital sectors. Experts compiled data from Canada, Mexico and the United States according to an agreed-upon set of variables and procedures, including the use of common […]
Reducing Air Pollution and Land Ports of Entry:
Increased traffic at North American land ports of entry (POEs) associated with transportation of goods affects air quality in border communities and beyond. In its 2013–2014 Operational Plan, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has provided support for researching and developing viable, integrated options for the implementation of vehicle emission-reduction mechanisms at selected land POEs.
Taking Stock 14
This edition of the Taking Stock report examines the data on pollutant releases and transfers reported by industrial facilities from 2005 through 2010 to the three pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) of North America: Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI); Mexico’s Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes (RETC); and the US Toxics Release Inventory (TRI). It provides details about specific pollutants, how they were managed, and the sectors and facilities reporting them over time and across North America.
Prairie Beef and Biodiversity
A lack of conservation tools and incentives to steward native prairie in Canada has placed a disproportionate cost for environmental stewardship on livestock producers managing natural grasslands. The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc. (RSAI) has investigated conservation tools that would help distribute the cost of maintaining declining ecosystem services from native rangelands more proportionally among those who value and use those services.