ORAZIETTI ANNOUNCES STRONGER AIR EMISSIONS STANDARDS

NOW IN EFFECT

McGuinty Government Protecting Air Quality in Sault Ste. Marie

Sault Ste. Marie - Starting February 1, 2010, industrial facilities have to meet stronger standards for 33 high priority contaminants to better protect air quality and health in Sault Ste. Marie and across Ontario David Orazietti announced today.

“We recognize that clean, safe air is essential in protecting the health of local residents and natural areas,” said Orazietti. “Our government has implemented the strongest air pollution regulations in Canada and the Ministry of Environment will help ensure that those tough standards are met locally.”

Changes to air emissions regulations coming into force include:

•  Reducing the acceptable level of lead and acetone by 75 per cent

• Creating standards for acetonitrile that causes respiratory irritation and

   methyl isocyanate that causes respiratory tract injury

• Cutting the acceptable level of xylenes, which have neurological effects,

   by nearly two-thirds

“These stronger air standards are based on the best science on health and environmental impacts,” said John Gerretsen, Minister of the Environment. “The regulation is coming into force after extensive consultation with both industry and the environmental community.”

In 2005 the Ontario government implemented Ontario Regulation 419 introducing 40 new and strengthened air pollution regulations. The measure will significantly reduce industrial emissions making Ontario’s air pollution standards the toughest in Canada. In total, the McGuinty government has introduced 59 new or updated air standards in less than two years to protect Ontario communities from the impacts of air pollution - the biggest move on air toxics in over 30 years. The province is continuing to improve air quality with another 14 new or updated standards currently under review.

For a full list of air standards visit: http://www.news.ontario.ca/ene/en/2010/02/strengthening-protection-for-ontarios-air.html.

The McGuinty government has been a national leader in implementing positive environmental initiatives including:

• Increased operating budget of MOE by 12.5%

• $400 million since 2003 to support source-to-tap drinking water initiatives

• $220 million municipal eco-challenge fund, provides loans and grants to

   encourage municipalities to reduce greenhouse gases

• Cancelled Adam’s Mine project protecting Northern drinking water

• Passed historic Greenbelt Act protecting 1.8 million acres from sprawl in

   GTA

• Hired 33 more water inspection staff - an increase of 25%

• Introduced Standard Offer Program allowing Ontarians to sell renewable

  power to the provincial grid

• Passed Clean Water Act – Bill 43 – protecting source water sites from

   harmful pollution

• Closed Lakeview Generating Station in 2005 - equivalent to taking half

   million cars off the road - CO2 emissions from Ontario’s coal-fired power

   plants are now below 1990 levels

• $13 million to renew our commitment to rehabilitate and protect the

   Great Lakes

• Implemented North America’s toughest emission test standards for large

   trucks and buses

• Passed Bill 133 –“spills bill”- polluter pays up to $100,000 a day for toxic

   spills in soil and water

• Banned inefficient incandescent light bulbs by 2012

• Passed Endangered Species Act – Toughest legislation in North America

• First government in Canada to take action on plastic bags and reduce the

   usage of plastic bags by 50% in 5 years

• New Building Code has toughest energy-efficiency standards in Canada -

   reducing emissions

Some of the McGuinty government’s environmental initiatives and programs that have specifically benefitted Sault Ste. Marie include:

• Power purchase agreement to facilitate $400 million investment by

• Brookfield Renewable Power - largest wind farm in Ontario

• Power purchase agreement to facilitate $135 million capital investment by

• Essar Steel in 70 MW co-gen plant – eliminating 400 tons of Nitrous Oxide

• Power purchase agreement to facilitate $100 million investment in 20 MW

   solar farm

• Over $7 million to green Sault Ste. Marie schools including energy

  retrofits

• $5 million in provincial gas tax funding has reduced air emissions through

  increased public transportation ridership

• $3 million to Sault Ste. Marie and Region Conservation Authority for

  water protection

• $2 million for tire recycling project in Sault Ste. Marie

• $1.4 million to construct methane collection system at landfill to reduce

   greenhouse gases

• $135,000 to support SITTM Technologies biofuel project

• Certificate of Approval for Elementa’s innovative waste-to-energy project

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