According to an audit report released by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada in December 2011, Transport Canada has not designed and implemented the management practices needed to effectively monitor compliance with the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992. Key audit findings included

• Transport Canada lacks a consistent approach to planning and implementing its compliance activities. As a result, it cannot ensure that sites are inspected according to the highest risk.
• Transport Canada has not ensured that corrective action has been taken on instances of non-compliance. More than half of the reviewed files contained notices of non-compliance. Of these files with identified deficiencies, seventy-three percent contained incomplete evidence or no evidence that corrective action had been taken.
• Transport Canada has given only temporary, interim approval for nearly half of the emergency response assistance plans put in place by regulated organizations.

A 2006 internal audit identified similar deficiencies indicating that Transport Canada has failed to correct “some of the key weaknesses in its regulatory oversight practices.”

National Energy Board Findings

The National Energy Board also came under fire in the report. Although the National Energy Board was found to have a sound risk-based monitoring system that it uses to assess regulatory compliance associated with pipeline transport of oil, gas, and other dangerous products, “there is little indication that the Board takes steps to ensure that the identified deficiencies are corrected.”

As was the case with Transport Canada, deficiencies were identified in the National Energy Board’s review of emergency response plans.

The National Energy Board has not appropriately monitored whether regulated companies have prepared emergency procedures manuals according to established legislation, standards, and Board expectations. The emergency procedures manuals have yet to be reviewed for about 39 percent of companies. For those that have been reviewed, we noted that in almost all instances identified, deficiencies were not communicated to the regulated companies, and in only one case did the Board check to ensure that the deficiencies had been corrected. We have concluded that the Board’s oversight of companies’ emergency procedures manuals is deficient.

About the Audit

The audit was conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada under the authority of the Auditor General Act to provide an independent, objective, and systematic assessment of how well government is managing its activities, responsibilities, and resources.

The objectives of this audit were to determine whether Transport Canada and the National Energy Board have designed and implemented management processes that would determine whether regulated organizations are complying with applicable legislation and standards and have conducted required emergency response planning.

The audit included interviews with key departmental officials, review of departmental policies and procedures associated with transport of dangerous products and emergency planning, and review of selected case files.

About Transport Canada

Transport Canada is responsible for the regulatory oversight of domestic and international shipping of dangerous goods via road, rail, air, and marine transportation. The Department’s mandate is set out in the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1992 and its regulations. These responsibilities include

• developing and updating regulations
• monitoring compliance with and enforcing the Act and regulations
• reviewing and approving emergency response assistance plans
• developing means of containment standards (the container, packaging, or any part of the means of transport that can be used to contain a dangerous good)
• providing and developing inspector training (national, provincial, and territorial)
• providing a 24-hour-a-day bilingual emergency advisory information service
• attending and compiling data on accidents or incidents involving dangerous goods

About the National Energy Board

The National Energy Board is an independent federal agency established in 1959 to promote safety and security, environmental protection, and economic efficiency in regulating those pipelines that cross provincial, territorial, or national boundaries. The Board’s regulatory oversight applies to the entire life cycle of a pipeline (and related infrastructure) or facility project, including construction, operation, and abandonment. The Board regulates approximately 71,000 kilometers of pipelines in Canada.

Article Source: Office of the Auditor General of Canada

Photograph: Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Canada by Noriko Natsume, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

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Welcome to the EHS Journal. This international online magazine was designed for and by environmental, health and safety professionals for the purpose of sharing knowledge and facilitating discussion within our profession. Since our launch in January 2010, we have published articles and images from more than 100 contributors in 30 countries.

We are actively seeking new articles! See the Submission Guidelines for more information, and submit your articles and comments today!

Photograph: At the Fair 2 by David Ritter, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

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The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended in December that states enact bans on all nonemergency use of mobile phones and portable electronic devices by motorists while driving. The NTSB made its recommendation after investigating a multivehicle crash in Gray Summit, Missouri that involved a driver who was texting. The crash, which occurred on August 5, 2010, killed two people and injured 38 others, including children in two school buses. The NTSB’s investigation revealed that the driver who started the chain-reaction crash had sent and received eleven text messages in the eleven minutes preceding the accident.

The NTSB also recommended that states adopt high-visibility enforcement and public awareness campaigns. The wireless industry was encouraged to develop features that disable the functionality of a driver’s mobile phone while the vehicle is in motion.

Vehicle Safety Statistics

The NTSB reported that more than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related incidents. Meanwhile, the National Safety Council estimated that 1.3 million vehicle crashes, or 23 percent of all crashes, involved distracted drivers using cell phones. These numbers could be higher because of several factors, including a driver’s unwillingness to admit the behavior, a lack of witnesses at the accident scene, and the inconsistent recording of cell phone use on police reports.

Related Articles in the EHS Journal

• Distracted Driving Overview
• Distracted Driving: States that Restrict Cell Phone Use and Text Messaging. This article includes helpful maps showing mobile telephone and text messaging restrictions.
• Vehicle Safety Video

About the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board

The NTSB is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine accidents, pipeline incidents, railroad accidents, and hazardous material releases that occur during transportation.

About the National Safety Council

Founded in 1913 and chartered by the U.S. Congress, the National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education, and advocacy. The NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials, and the public in areas where it can make the most impact—distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety, and safety in homes and communities.

About the Author

Michael Bittner, CPEA, is a senior partner in the Boston, U.S.A. office of Environmental Resources Management and editor of the EHS Journal. He specializes in global EHS solutions including

• Compliance and management systems auditing
• EHS management systems implementation and design
• Sustainability solutions
• Mergers and acquisitions support

Mr. Bittner is a member of the Board of Directors for the Auditing Roundtable.

Photograph: Storm by David Ritter, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

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Take a break and watch this 45-second video clip that demonstrates the importance of keeping your eyes on the road while driving. The driver referred to this incident as a “near miss.”

This video is perfect for defensive driver training courses.

Other Vehicle Safety Articles in the EHS Journal

• Distracted Driving Overview
• Distracted Driving: States that Restrict Cell Phone Use and Text Messaging. This article includes helpful maps showing mobile telephone and text messaging restrictions.

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Photograph: Car Headlight by Graham Briggs, La Nucia, Alicante, Spain. 

Submitted by: Matt Boardman

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The EPA released its annual national analysis of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2010 on January 5, 2012. The TRI program publishes information on toxic chemical disposals and other releases into the air, land, and water, as well as information on waste management and pollution prevention activities in neighborhoods across the country. Total releases including disposals for the latest reporting year, 2010, are higher than the previous two years but lower than 2007 and prior year totals.

Results

The 2010 TRI data show that 3.93 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment in United States, a 16 percent increase from 2009. The increase is mainly due to changes in the metal mining sector, which typically involves large facilities handling large volumes of material. In this sector, even a small change in the chemical composition of the ore being mined ― which EPA understands is one of the reasons for the increase in total reported releases ― may lead to big changes in the amount of toxic chemicals reported nationally. Several other sectors including the chemical and primary metals industries also reported increases in toxic releases in 2010.

Total air releases decreased 6 percent since 2009, continuing a trend seen over the past several years. Releases into surface water increased 9 percent and releases into land increased 28 percent since 2009, again due primarily to the metal mining sector.

Improvements

EPA has improved this year’s TRI national analysis report by adding new information on facility efforts to reduce pollution and by considering whether economic factors could have affected the TRI data. With this report and EPA’s Web-based TRI tools, citizens can access information about the toxic chemical releases into the air, water, and land that occur locally. Finally, EPA’s first mobile application for accessing TRI data, myRTK, is now available in Spanish, as are expanded Spanish translations of national analysis documents and Web pages.

About TRI

TRI data is submitted annually to EPA and states by multiple industry sectors including manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste facilities. Facilities must report their toxic chemical releases to EPA under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) by July 1st of each year. The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires information on waste management activities related to TRI chemicals.

More Information

More on the 2010 TRI analysis and TRI Web-based tools: http://www.epa.gov/tri

More on myRTK: http://www.epa.gov/tri/myrtk/

Photograph: Red Barn Door by Dani Simmonds Everett, Washington, U.S.A.

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In its efforts to tackle the problem of climate change, the Australian government will introduce a carbon tax starting July 1, 2012. Australia’s goal is to reduce the country’s total emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2020; to achieve this goal, the country is starting with a carbon tax, but officials then plan to shift to a market-based emissions trading scheme in 2015. The 5 percent reduction is a voluntary target in lieu of a binding international agreement on reducing carbon emissions.

Australia has the highest per capita carbon footprint in the world because of its reliance on coal-fired electricity stations, which are responsible for 40 percent of the nation’s emissions. The carbon tax is a move towards counteracting Australia’s lag in switching to renewable energy, making carbon-neutral investments, and establishing climate change best practices.

Overview of the Carbon Tax

• The carbon tax will be launched with a fixed price of A$ 23 per tonne of CO2-e (CO2 equivalent). (A$ 1 = US$ 1.05 = € 0.81)
• Five hundred of Australia’s highest polluting companies, which is half the number originally planned, will pay a flat charge of A $23 per tonne of CO2-e produced; the charge will be increased annually by 2.5 percent above the rate of inflation. The reason for including only 500 companies revolves around the decision to exclude fuel from the carbon tax. In total, 0.02 percent of Australia’s 3 million businesses will be taxed.
• Over the three years before the launch of the emissions trading scheme, A$ 9 billion in revenue generated from the carbon tax will be utilized to compensate and support jobs in hard-hit industries.
• The Australian government has promised that 90 percent of households will be compensated in some way, with 70 percent fully compensated either through tax cuts or through increases to family payments. The government estimates that 4 million households will be better off, 6 million will be no worse off, and 8 million will be partially compensated for price rises. The average household will pay an extra A$ 9.90 per week. 
• A$ 14 billion from the carbon tax will be invested in clean energy technologies and sources. This amount includes A$ 1 billion to improve energy efficiency, A$ 10 billion towards clean energy technology, and A$ 3 billion towards renewable energy.

Impact of the Carbon Tax

An estimated 159 million tonnes of carbon pollution will be removed from Australia’s atmosphere if the stated measures of the carbon tax and the subsequent emissions trading scheme are effectively and efficiently carried out. Australia’s total emissions for 2010 were 577 million tonnes, giving an expected result of 418 million tonnes in 2020.

Like any tax, the carbon tax will have an impact on the entire Australian economy, affecting its gross domestic product, industrial policies and structure, and foreign trade. Schemes revolving around carbon reduction will increase the price of energy, at least in the short term.

The introduction of a carbon tax is progressive for the greater good of the environment; it is, however, regressive in that the burden arising from the tax would have a major impact on low-income households. However, the carbon tax should motivate investment in clean energy sources as they become cheaper relative to the sources that are taxed. The tax will also encourage the 500 major polluters to look at their emissions not as a contingent liability but as an actual liability, making them rethink their business strategy with the burden of the carbon tax factored in.

The main industries affected in Australia by the carbon tax are in sectors that generate electricity, especially organizations that are heavy fossil fuel users. Fuel will not be subject to the carbon tax for the first 2 years but will then draw the tax for heavy vehicle diesel and big businesses.

Because of the extremely high emissions by brown and black coal generators, these two sources of electricity and energy will increase in price and decrease in demand with implementation of the carbon tax. This effect should create an increase in electricity generation by renewable sources, gas, and oil. Also, the initial compensation given to polluters will slowly decrease, further making them shift towards more clean energy sources. A finance fund in the amount of A$ 10 billion is also earmarked to provide loans for renewable energy.

The government has set a target of generating 20 percent of Australia’s power from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Limitations of the Carbon Tax

One of the most significant disadvantages of the carbon tax in Australia is in the name itself. The general public often sees any increase in taxes, including the introduction of a carbon tax, as a negative stance, and the Australian government has certainly struggled to get support from the general public for this legislation. A second limitation of the carbon tax is that agriculture is not subject to the tax. Agriculture, in particular livestock farming, accounts for 18 percent of global GHG emissions. The third limitation is in the policies associated with the carbon tax. If the government reimburses much of the revenue from the carbon tax to the major polluters, then the incentive to decrease emissions will dissipate. On the other hand, if the carbon tax is astronomical, then it pushes companies and industries to shift operations to other countries that have few or no pollution costs.

Conclusion

The Australian government, using a political process, has adopted a direct market-based approach to reducing emissions through a carbon tax and future ETS, which will have an impact on the economy through the relative price of goods and services. The high emitters will price the additional costs from the carbon tax into their products, creating an opportunity for companies to develop carbon-free or low-carbon goods and services that avoid the tax and are cheaper than carbon-intensive alternatives.

The change in relative prices will lead Australian industries to shift away from high-carbon products towards energy-efficient processes and low-carbon inputs. The change in prices will also put pressure on consumers to reduce their individual footprints by decreasing their use of carbon-intensive products and altering their consumption patterns. Thus, the carbon tax will have a monetary and behavioral effect on the economy’s resource allocation and distribution, income distribution, and economic growth.

With China recently announcing a possible carbon tax from 2015 priced at A$ 1.55 per tonne of CO2-e, one would think that Australia has overpriced its carbon policy in an attempt to stand out from the rest of the pack. However, the positive messages from China’s recent announcement, the United States’ and India’s participation and action in the Durban Platform, and the carbon tax in Australia are signals to the world that environmental and social degradation are now being more closely monitored than ever before. The pragmatic approach taken by continents such as Australia and Europe sets an example for other countries to start working on market-based mechanisms to tackle the problem of climate change.

About the Author

Kaushik Sridhar is a sustainability associate at Net Balance Management Group in Sydney, Australia. He helps companies integrate environmental, social, and other sustainability issues with business strategy. An MBA and PhD graduate from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Mr. Sridhar has published eighteen papers in international peer-reviewed journals in the areas of sustainability, corporate social responsibility, carbon trading, and strategic management. He has presented papers at the IFSAM conference in Paris (2010), the APROS conference in Auckland (2011), and the 4^th INTERNATIONAL HR CONFERENCE in Bangkok (2012). Mr. Sridhar also has a blog on sustainability, which he updates regularly: http://kaushik-sustainability.blogspot.com/

Image:  Australian Flag by Creative Daw, Philippines.

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The following winter driving tips were posted on the Weather Channel web site.

Driving in Snow and Ice

The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it.  Don’t go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do their work, and allow yourself extra time to reach your destination. 

If you must drive in snowy conditions, make sure your car is prepared, and that you know how to handle road conditions.  It’s helpful to practice winter driving techniques in a snowy, open parking lot, so you’re familiar with how your car handles. Consult your owner’s manual for tips specific to your vehicle.

Driving Safely on Icy Roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If Your Rear Wheels Skid

1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they’re sliding right, steer right.
3. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
4. If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
5. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

If Your Front Wheels Skid

1. Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don’t try to steer immediately.
2. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in “drive” or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If You Get Stuck

1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
3. Use a light touch on the gas to ease your car out.
4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
6. Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner’s manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you’re in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.

Additional Information

Read the Weather Channel’s tips for winterizing your car.

Image: Winter Driving on Norwegian Roads by Grethe Marie Belboe, Nesoddtangen, Norway.

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From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

In January 2012, for the first time, the EPA released greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the GHG Reporting Program. The data set shows 2010 U.S. GHG emissions from large industrial facilities and from suppliers of certain fossil fuels and industrial gases. Reporting entities used uniform methods for estimating emissions, which enables data to be compared and analyzed. The data confirm that among large, direct GHG emitters, the sector with the largest emissions is power plants, followed by petroleum refineries. EPA will update the website regularly to provide the most up-to-date information available.

Access GHG Emissions Data

EPA developed an easy-to-use online data publication tool that allows users to view GHG data in a variety of ways, including by location, facility, industrial sector, or state, and more features will be added in the coming months.

The GHG data set for 2010 includes

• GHG reports from over 6,700 entities.
• Information on GHGs including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and several types of fluorinated industrial gases.
• GHG data from facilities from specific industries that directly emit 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) or more per year, roughly equivalent to the emissions from burning 131 railcars of coal.

Click here to download a list of 2010 reporters.

What the Data Tell Us  

The GHG Reporting Program collects information from facilities that directly emit GHGs and from suppliers of products that release GHGs if combusted, oxidized, or used. The data publication tool has two distinct sections so the user can view these data sets separately. The default view allows the user to explore data from direct emitters such as power plants, refineries, and other large direct emissions sources. 

GHG Emissions by Industry Type

The data for direct GHG emitters from stationary sources show that in 2010:

• Power plants were the largest stationary source of direct U.S. GHG emissions with 2,324 million metric tons of CO2e, followed by refineries with 183 million metric tons of CO2e.
• CO2 emissions accounted for the largest share of direct emissions with 95 percent, followed by methane with 4 percent, and nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases representing the remaining 1 percent.
• 100 facilities each reported emissions over 7 million metric tons of CO2e, including 96 power plants, 2 iron and steel mills and 2 refineries.

GHG Emissions by Sector

Reported GHG emissions for 2010 by sector are shown on the following table.

New Source Categories

Twelve additional source categories will report their 2011 data for the first time beginning in 2012

• Electronics manufacturing
• Fluorinated gas production
• Magnesium production
• Petroleum and natural gas systems
• Use of electric transmission and distribution equipment
• Underground coal mines
• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide
• Manufacture of electric transmission and distribution
• Industrial waste landfills
• Underground injection of carbon dioxide
• Imports and exports of equipment pre-charged with fluorinated greenhouse gases or containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in closed-cell foams

Additional Information

Click here to access additional EPA files that allow users to download non-confidential data submitted to EPA. These files contain additional data elements not featured in the data publication tool, including items such as monitoring methods used and missing data methods.

Notes on the Data

The data released in January 2012 reflect any resubmitted reports from facilities as of December 16, 2011. Information received after that date will be included in EPA’s next update. EPA does not release confidential business information.

Photograph: Haunting Sky 1 by Benjamin Earwicker, Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.

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Tagish Lake, Yukon Territory, Canada Hockey 

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The first-ever Carbon Management Technology Conference will be held 7–9 February 2012 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

Eight engineering societies are sponsoring this conference, bringing together all disciplines to share the latest technologies, strategies and systems related to the management and containment of carbon production.

The three-day technical program will feature more than 200 presentations on key topics such as business risks of carbon counting, innovative approaches to measuring information technology system sustainability, research and development, and greenhouse gas quantification and measurement methods.

“At the Carbon Management Technology Conference, engineers from a wide range of engineering disciplines will share their perspectives on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the risks of climate change,” says Haroon Kheshgi, conference chairperson and leader of ExxonMobil’s global climate change science program.  “It has been inspiring to work with the program committee of over 60 dedicated professionals, including volunteers from the sponsoring engineering societies, who have developed the program of this inaugural conference and have laid the groundwork for further collaborations of the societies”.

Tuesday’s keynote session, “Climate Change Adaptation in the US,” will feature Katharine Jacobs, assistant director for the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy. Robert Fri, visiting scholar for Resources for the Future, will discuss “America’s Climate Choices” in the Wednesday keynote session.

Attendees can also observe the latest products and services for greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation from industry-leading exhibiting companies.

To learn more about this conference, visit www.carbonmgmt.org. Advertising and sponsorship opportunities are still available.

About the Conference

The Carbon Management Technology Conference is sponsored and organized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and the Society of Petroleum Engineers. It is also supported in part by a grant from the United Engineering Foundation.