Management of industrial sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions in Alberta - description of the existing system

In addition to being key primary air contaminants, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also major contributors to acidic deposition. The current management system for controlling industrial sources of SO(2) and NO(x) emissions in Alberta was developed in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The focus is on control of point source emissions through the use of appropriate technology. The approach taken for managing SO(2) and NO(x) emissions is similar to the approach taken to other industrial air and wastewater pollutants in Alberta. It is a command and control regulatory system. There are three main industry categories in Alberta which emit SO(2): sour gas processing, oil sand plants and thermal power plants. For NO(x) emissions, the two main categories with emissions: are natural gas production and thermal power plants. The two main goals of the existing industrial air quality management systems are to ensire that: (1) emissions from industrial facilities are minimized through the use of best available demonstrated technology, and (2) ambient levels of air contaminants in the vicinity of industrial facilities do not exceed Alberta guidelines. The four main policies which support these two goals of the existing management system are described. There are a number of key components of the existing management system including: ambient guideline levels, source emission standards, plume dispersion modelling, ambient air and source emission monitoring, environmental reporting, emission inventories, and approvals. 32 refs., 13 figs