NOVA Chemicals (Canada) Ltd. / NOVA Chimie (Canada) Ltee. - Environmental Compliance Approval (air)

Instrument type: Environmental Compliance Approval (air)

ERO number
013-4682
Ministry reference number
0545-B8FPK9
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Notice stage
Decision
Decision posted
Comment period
February 7, 2019 - March 24, 2019 (45 days) Closed
Last updated

This consultation was open from:
February 7, 2019
to March 24, 2019

Decision summary

We issued a notice to amend the Environmental Compliance Approval (Air & Noise) No.7819-AR5R9P to NOVA Chemicals (Canada)Ltd.,
a petrochemical manufacturing facility located in St. Clair Township, Lambton County.

Location details

Site address

785 Petrolia Line
Corunna, ON
N0N 1G0
Canada

Site location map

The location pin reflects the approximate area where environmental activity is taking place.

View this location on a map opens link in a new window

Proponent(s)

NOVA Chemicals (Canada) Ltd. / NOVA Chimie (Canada) Ltee.
Post Office Box Delivery 3060
Sarnia, ON
N7T 8C7
Canada

Decision details

A Notice to amend the Environmental Compliance Approval (Air & Noise) No. 7819-AR5R9P has been issued to NOVA Chemicals (Canada) Ltd., a petrochemical manufacturing facility located in St. Clair Township, Lambton County.

This amendment is to reflect updates to existing equipment at the Corunna Facility, including the removal of two crude unit heaters, a cracking heater, and fuel oil combustion from the operating scenarios for three superheaters, updates to crude unit fugitive emissions, updates to a tank’s capacity, updates to existing decoke conditions, service changes to four tanks, and the replacement of a lab sump.

Contaminant emissions to the atmosphere include volatile organic compounds such as ethylbenzene, xylenes, and isoprene, and combustion by products such as, benzo(a)pyrene, chromium, naphthalene, nickel, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide.

Comments received

Through the registry

0

By email

0

By mail

1
View comments submitted through the registry

Effects of consultation

Summary of comments and responses

One written submission of comments was received on March 22, 2019 by the ministry. An email with comments dated April 2, 2019 was received by the Ministry after the expiry date of March 24, 2019 for the EBR public commenting period of the proposal. No electronic submission of comments was received. The comments relevant to air approval (Section 9 under the Act) are outlined below:

Item number Issue raised in comments Response to comments
1 NOVA Chemicals proposed process changes would lead to significant exceedances of the new sulphur dioxide emission standard. The application does not acknowledge the new sulphur dioxide standard is coming into force. NOVA Chemicals should be required to comply with the new sulphur dioxide standard now. The Ministry has conducted a technical assessment on the application for an amendment to Environmental Compliance Approval No. 7819-AR5R9P for the proposed process changes. The main purpose of the technical assessment is to ensure the proposed process changes comply with the Environmental Protection Act, Reg. 419 and any other regulations, policies and guidelines relevant to air approval. The technical assessment has determined that the emission of sulphur dioxide from the proposed facility complies with its current standard in Reg. 419. Therefore, the proposal complies with requirement for sulphur dioxide stipulated in Reg. 419. As stated in Reg. 419, the new sulphur dioxide standard will come into effect starting on July 1, 2023. NOVA Chemicals is not required to comply with the new sulphur dioxide standard until it comes into effect. However, NOVA Chemicals is fully aware of the new sulphur dioxide standard and committed to comply with the new standard when it comes into effect.
2a The Ministry must require NOVA Chemicals to comply with the Boilers Regulation (Reg. 338) before permitting the proposed process changes. According to Section 2.(a) & (b) of Reg. 338, the requirements of the regulation apply to boilers first put into operation after Reg. 338 effective date of November 5, 1999. The boilers at NOVA Chemicals facility were constructed and operated before November 5, 1999. No modifications have been made to these boilers. Therefore, the requirements of Reg. 338 do not apply to the boilers.
2b The Ministry should impose the 1% sulphur content limit in the fuel oil burned by the boilers even if the boilers are exempt from Reg. 338 requirements. The sulphur contained in the fuel burned by the boilers are discharged in the form of sulphur dioxide which is regulated by Reg. 419. The technical assessment by the Ministry has determined that the sulphur dioxide emission complies with its standard/limit set out in Reg. 419. Therefore the environmental impact of sulphur in the boiler fuel in the form of sulphur dioxide emission is within the regulatory acceptable level.
3 The Ministry should require the facility to stop using sour gas and DPG sour gas as fuel for the superheaters. The sulphur contained in the sour gas burned by the superheaters are discharged in the form of sulphur dioxide which is regulated by Reg. 419. The technical assessment by the Ministry has determined that the sulphur dioxide emission complies with its standard/limit set out in Reg. 419. Therefore the environmental impact of sour gas burned by the superheaters discharged in the form of sulphur dioxide emission is withni the regulatory acceptable level.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Client Services and Permissions Branch
Address

135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

Office phone number
Sarnia District Office
Address

1094 London Road
Sarnia, ON
N7S 1P1
Canada

Office phone number

How to Appeal

This instrument decision can be appealed. You have 15 days from July 3, 2019 to begin the appeal process.

Carefully review the information below to learn more about the appeal process.

How to appealClick to Expand Accordion

For instrument decisions published on or after June 1, 2021, please refer to the updated instructions for information on how to appeal a decision.

Appeal process for decisions published before June 1, 2021

If you’re an Ontario resident, you can start the process to appeal this instrument decision.

First, you’ll need to seek leave (i.e. get permission) from the relevant appellate body to appeal the decision.

If the appellate body grants leave, the appeal itself will follow.

Seek leave to appeal

To seek leave to appeal, you need to do these three things:

  1. prepare your application
  2. provide notice to the minister
  3. mail your application to three parties

1. Prepare your application

You’ll need to prepare an application. You may wish to include the following things in your application:

  1. A document that includes:
    • your name, phone number, fax number (if any), and/or email address
    • the ERO number and ministry reference number (located on this page)
    • a statement about whether you are a resident in Ontario
    • your interest in the decision, and any facts you want taken into account in deciding whether you have an interest in the decision
    • the parts of the instrument that you’re challenging
    • whether the decision could result in significant harm to the environment
    • the reason(s) why you believe that no reasonable person – having regard to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind – could have made the decision
    • the grounds (facts) you’ll be using to appeal
    • the outcome you’d like to see
  2. A copy of the instrument (approval, permit, order) that you you are seeking leave to appeal. You’ll find this in the decision notice on the Environmental Registry
  3. Copies of all supporting documents, facts and evidence that you’ll be using to appeal
What is considered

The appeal body will consider the following two questions in deciding whether to grant you leave to appeal:

  1. is there is good reason to believe that no reasonable person, with respect to the relevant law and to any government policies developed to guide decisions of that kind, could have made the decision?
  2. could the decision you wish to appeal result in significant harm to the environment?

2. Provide your notice

You’ll need to provide notice to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that you’re seeking leave to appeal.

In your notice, please include a brief description of the:

  • decision that you wish to appeal
  • grounds for granting leave to appeal

You can provide notice by email at minister.mecp@ontario.ca or by mail at:

College Park 5th Floor, 777 Bay St.
Toronto, ON 
M7A 2J3

3. Mail your application

You’ll need to mail your application that you prepared in step #1 to each of these three parties:

  • appellate body
  • issuing authority (the ministry official who issued the instrument)
  • proponent (the company or individual to whom the instrument was issued)

Issuing authority
Jeffrey McKerrall
Manager

Environmental Assessment and Permissions Branch
135 St Clair Avenue West
Floor 1
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

416-314-8302

Proponent(s)

NOVA Chemicals (Canada) Ltd. / NOVA Chimie (Canada) Ltee.
Post Office Box Delivery 3060
Sarnia, ON
N7T 8C7
Canada


Appellate body

Environmental Review Tribunal
Attention: The Secretary
655 Bay Street
Floor 15
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1E5
(416) 212-6349
(866) 448-2248
OLT.Registrar@ontario.ca

About the Environmental Review Tribunal


Include the following:

ERO number
013-4682
Ministry reference number
0545-B8FPK9

This is not legal advice. Please refer to the Environmental Bill of Rights for exact legal requirements. Consult a lawyer if you need help with the appeal process.

Connect with us

Contact

Sign up for notifications

We will send you email notifications with any updates related to this consultation. You can change your notification preferences anytime by visiting settings in your profile page.

Follow this notice

Original proposal

ERO number
013-4682
Ministry reference number
0545-B8FPK9
Notice type
Instrument
Act
Environmental Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990
Posted by
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Proposal posted

Comment period

February 7, 2019 - March 24, 2019 (45 days)

Proposal details

Description of instrument

This proposal is to amend the Environmental Compliance Approval (Air & Noise) No. 7819-AR5R9P for NOVA Chemicals (Canada) Ltd., a petrochemical manufacturing facility located in St. Clair Township, Lambton County.

This proposal is to reflect updates to existing equipment at the Corunna Facility, including:

  • the removal of two crude unit heaters, a cracking heater, and fuel oil combustion from the operating scenarios for three superheaters,
  • updates to crude unit fugitive emissions,
  • updates to a tank’s capacity,
  • updates to existing decoke conditions,
  • service changes to four tanks, and
  • the replacement of a lab sump.

Contaminant emissions to the atmosphere include:

  • volatile organic compounds such as ethylbenzene, xylenes, and isoprene, and
  • combustion by products such as, benzo(a)pyrene, chromium, naphthalene, nickel, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and sulphur dioxide.

Supporting materials

View materials in person

Some supporting materials may not be available online. If this is the case, you can request to view the materials in person.

Get in touch with the office listed below to find out if materials are available.

Client Services and Permissions Branch
Address

135 St Clair Ave West
1st Floor
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
Canada

Office phone number
Sarnia District Office
Address

1094 London Road
Sarnia, ON
N7S 1P1
Canada

Office phone number

Comment

Commenting is now closed.

This consultation was open from February 7, 2019
to March 24, 2019

Connect with us

Contact