CEPA Part IV: controls on government organizations

Under Part IV of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the Minister of the Environment has the authority to regulate waste handling and disposal practices and emissions and effluents from federal department, Crown corporation and federal agency activities.

During fiscal year 1995-96, the following initiatives were directed at the federal government:

• an Interdepartmental Working Group on Airport De-icing and the Environment was established to review and revise the discharge guidelines for glycols from federal facilities, expanding the current guidelines' focus on de-icing chemical management to overall airport stormwater quality management;
• a Contaminated Sites Management Working Group was created to address current issues pertaining to federal lands;
• technical Guidelines for Underground Storage Tanks Containing Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products were issued;
• two regulations are being developed with respect to the registration of storage tank systems and halocarbons;
• Bill S-7, an act to accelerate the use of alternative fuels for motor vehicles, was promulgated;
• the Ontario Region established the first of a number of pollution prevention demonstration sites at CFB Trenton - B Wing. New pollution prevention technologies are being implemented and evaluated;
• this Region also hosted a three-day Environmental Issues Workshop as part of the popular Compliance Promotion Program. The compliance promotion newsletter and bulletins, ComPros and ComPro Update, continue to be produced;
• the Manitoba Division of the Prairie and Northern Region also conducted a compliance promotion workshop for federal facilities on the Technical Guidelines for Underground Storage Tank Systems Containing Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum and the proposed Technical Guidelines for Aboveground Storage Tank Systems Containing Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum;
• the Atlantic Region completed an inventory of the hazardous wastes generated by federal facilities in that Region which will be used to develop hazardous wastes management strategies at specific federal facilities;
• the federal polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Destruction Program was implemented; and
• an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Compliance with Transport Canada was signed.

The Federal Code of Environmental Stewardship commits federal government departments to conform with the requirements of CEPA and other federal environmental legislation, and to make their operations compatible with other levels of government where appropriate.

In support of environmental stewardship, the following initiatives were undertaken:

• mandates for the Federal Committee on Environmental Management Systems and the Environmental Accountability Partnership Committee were defined;
• three publications were released: A Guide to Green Government; Directions on Greening Government Operations; and Environmental Management System Self-Assessment Guide;
• the Policy on Greening of Government Operations was announced;
• the Auditor General Act was amended to create the position of Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and to require departments to prepare sustainable development strategies;
• the Auditor General Report on Environmental Management System was published;
• Environmental Management System workshops were held;
• the Federal FleetWise initiative was launched;
• courses on best practices regarding waste reduction, green procurement and green construction were delivered;
• the Quebec Region’s Sectorial Roundtable on Stewardship developed a regional interdepartmental action plan on the greening of government and organized a third Workshop on Environmental Issues.
• environmental performance self-assessment tools aimed at federal departments and agencies have been developed by the Quebec Region; and
• the Atlantic and Quebec Regions participated in a project aimed at eliminating PCBs, and allowing for decontaminated materials be to be recycled.