Miller Paving Limited - Approval to register for a technical standard for air pollution (industry standard)

Comment 1

Do asphalt plants install best available technology, even if they discharge more than allowed amount of air pollution?

Reply 1

Ontario's regulatory approach to improving local air quality focuses first on setting protective air standards, using these air standards to assess the environmental performance on regulated facilities and identifying where we need to do more. The ministry then looks to technical solutions for improvements.

Through the technical standards approach, our goal is to reduce emissions through continuous improvement and the implementation of best available technologies and practices over time.

Technical standards can be used to manage air emissions for multiple facilities within one or more sectors and can include a wide range of contaminants. There are two types of technical standards:

• industry standards regulate all sources of a specified contaminant(s) within an industry sector
• equipment standards address a source of contaminant but may apply to one or multiple industry sectors

Air standards are used to assess the environmental performance of an industrial facility and identify where more needs to be done. Creating a technical standard does not let industry “off the hook”. Facilities that register for a technical standard must adhere to the technical and operational requirements for managing emissions of contaminants for which they are registered. This requires the use of best available controls and best management practices to ensure continued strong environmental rules to help reduce the risk to public health and continue to operate responsibly.

In 2020 the government finalized the Asphalt Mix Industry Technical Standard to address contaminants emitted to air from facilities that produce asphalt. This technical standard allows industrial facilities to:

• have a technology-based approach to comply with the Local Air Quality Regulation that focuses on management of emissions
• reduce regulatory burden

Comment 2

The best method to reduce industrial pollution is to keep a separation distance from public.

Reply 2

A Technical Standard is a technology-based solution designed for facilities in an industry sector that are not able to meet an air standard due to technical limitations associated with their manufacturing process. Technical Standard helps lower, better control, monitor, and manage local air emissions.