Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

(Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes)

Undersecretariat for Environmental ProtectionGeneral Bureau of Air Quality and PRTRBureau of Industry Regulation and PRTR

Mexico has developed measures to proect the

environment and health from toxic substances

associated with human activity:

Laws, regulations and standards

International treaties

Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR)

Environmental audit program

Background

Agenda 21 (1992): actions to assess, prevent and control the risks associated with chemicals released in polluting activities

PRTR Background

OECD (1996): promotion of PRTR as a tool to track and release environmental information

Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992): preparation and update of national greenhouse gas inventories

AustraliaBelgiumCanadaKorea DenmarkUnited StatesFinlandGreat BritainHungaryIrelandItalyJapanNorwayNetherlandsCzech RepublicSlovakiaSwedenSwitzerland

Countries with PRTRs

Mexico

PRTR in North America

US Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (1987)

Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) (1993)

Mexican Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes—RETC) (2004)

Action Plan to Enhance the Comparability of PRTRs in North America

What is the PRTR in Mexico?

Release into water

Transfer in waste

Releaseinto air

Soil release Transfer to sewer

National public database consisting of releases and transfers of 104 substances

Public InformationName: Address:Substance released and/or

transferred:Reporting year:

An environmental policy instrument to compile, integrate and release public information on potential environmentally hazardous pollutants, from a wide variety of sources

IndustryIdentifies raw material wasteDetermines inventory levelsEstablishes production indices

SocietyProvides environmental information and information on possible risk exposure

GovernmentSupports the establishment of environmental policies and enforcement

AcademiaInformation on the development of research projects to support decision-making

SEMARNAT

Benefits

Scope

Coordination

agreementsSustainable

strategic planning

Improved legalframework

PRTRPRTR

National Development Plan

Air quality

programs

Waste management

Direct regulation

National environmental

information

Transparencyand objectivity

Ecological zoning

PRTR Legal Framework

Political will

Amendment to Art.109 Bis of the General Ecological

Balance and Environmental Protection Act (LGEEPA),

December 2001

Transparency and Access to Information Act, June 2002

(federal)

PRTR Regulation, June 2004 (federal)

Ministerial Accords, 2005

- Electronic annual operating certificate (COA)

- List of 104 PRTR reporting substances

Amendment to Art. 109 BIS

Transparency Act

PRTR substance list

COA

form

PRTR Regulation

The Secretariat, states, Federal District and municipalities must create a PRTR within their respective jurisdictions

Persons responsible for pollution sources must provide the information necessary to integrate the register

Information shall be public and have the effect of reporting

Amendment to LGEEPA Art. 109 Bis

PRTR Legal Framework

PRTR Regulation Article 9

Those listed in LGEEPA Art. 111 Bis

Hazardous waste generators

Those discharging wastewater into national water bodies

Establishments subject to reporting include:

Public environmental information includes:

Name of the individual or corporate name of the establishment

Releases and transfers of pollutants

Geographical location of the establishment

PRTR Regulation Art. 25

Annual Operating Certificate (COA)

IGeneral technical information

IIAir pollutant releases

IIIWater releases and transfers

IVHazmat generation and transfer

VPRTR substance releases

and transfers

Reported data

StateState MunicipalMunicipal

FederalFederal

National PRTR

National PRTRNational PRTR

Federal, State and Municipal Competencies

Federal State Municipal

Water

Air

Soil

Waste

Release11 sectors

Release National waters

TransferHazardous

waste

ReleaseHazardous

waste

ReleaseState sector

Transfer Special handling

Release Service

companies

Transfer

Sewer

Transfer Municipal solid

waste

PRTR Substances

6Greenhouse Gases

17 Montreal Protocol

12Persistent organic

compounds (POCs)

104 PRTR substances

50 substances comparable to NPRI & TRI

CFC HCFCs

HBFCTET

Halons BrM

Climate ChangeCOCO22 CHCH44NN22O CF O CF HFC SF6HFC SF6

PCBsAldrinChlordaneDDTDieldrinEndrinHexachlorobenzene

HeptachlorMirexToxapheneDioxinsFurans

Other substances classified per:Persistence,

Bioaccumulation,Toxicity

Draft Standard on PRTR Substances

Technical and methdological bases forestablishing a PRTR list (UNAM)

Analysis of substances used in industries under federal jurisdiction(IPN)

Analysis and assessment of PRTR reporting thresholds (CEC)

Analysis of substances used in Mexicoon COA, customs, pesticides and toxicsubstances (Cicoplafest), and chemicalindustry association (ANIQ) (Semarnat)

Development of PRTR substance list(UNAM)