While not quite to the level of the attention-getting $7.5 million fine that Cliffs Natural Resources had to pay last December for environmental violations, there have been a few environmental fines that are at least worth noting.
Also, notice that these violations were not the result of any spectacular release of some exotic chemical; they are all fairly relatable types of substances.
Recent Environmental Enforcement Action
On June 5, 2015, an electronic company in British Columbia was ordered to pay $40,000 for environmental offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA). The offences included “exporting hazardous recyclable material without prior notification and exporting without a permit.” The materials included relatively mundane items such as lead-acid batteries and used nickel-cadmium batteries.
On June 17, 2015, an Iron Ore company in Newfoundland and Labrador was ordered to pay $30,000 for violations under the Fisheries Act. According to Environment Canada, “…the company failed to notify an inspector of having deposited effluent into fish-bearing water without authorization.” The violation was related to total suspended solids.
On July 24, 2015, a company in British Columbia was ordered to pay $90,000 for an offence under the Fisheries Act. In this instance, it was again a fairly benign substance – Canola Oil. However, it was 1,800 litres, and it spilled into a water body, which was a violation of the Fisheries Act.
Finally, on July 29, 2015, an Alberta company pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a total of $375,000 in penalties for offences under the Fisheries Act. This was the result of a spill of hydrochloric acid (HCl). 150,000 litres of HCl “…spilled through a broken sight glass on a storage tank system,” and 5,000 litres entered a creek.
And, of course, the “added bonus” to each of these is that, as a result of the convictions, the names of the companies will be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
As we all know, avoiding occasional accidents or incidents is nearly impossible. And most of those in charge of environmental compliance do their best to comply with the various rules and regulations. However, should you ever need a review of your current compliance practices, feel free to contact my colleague, Andrew Tymec, P. Eng. (atymec@dragun.com) at 519-979-7300, ext 118.