Environmental Justice and the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI): Presentation
Heather Fast (Manitoba Eco-Network), Crystal Stamp-Cardinal (Keepers of the Water), and Fe de Leon (Canadian Environmental Law Association) recently presented on “Environmental Justice and the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI)” to the NPRI Consultative Work Group.
Some discussion highlights include:
“There was a lack of publicly accessible information about the impacts of most chemicals until the 1980s, when citizens around the world began demanding regulatory change to recognize their right to know about the health and environmental impacts of potentially harmful substances.”
“In response, governments in many countries developed publicly available inventories of the substances being released by certain polluters. One of these inventories is Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), established in 1993.”
“…In some Canadian jurisdictions, like Manitoba, there are a limited number of facilities that meet the reporting thresholds under CEPA, which can make it difficult for citizens to determine the full scope of polluting activities in their communities based on the available information in the NPRI.”
“… We view the NPRI as an important tool with significant potential to help advance the four tenants of environmental justice and uphold associated government responsibilities.”
