Process for proposing and considering changes to National Pollutant Release Inventory: chapter 2


2. How to propose changes to the NPRI program

2.1 Who can submit a change proposal?

Any party in Canada (person, government or organization, including ECCC itself), hereafter called the “proponent”, may submit proposals to ECCC for modifications to the NPRI program, such as adding or deleting substances, changing reporting thresholds, or other types of changes to the reporting criteria or to the information requirements.

2.2 What information must be included in a change proposal?

The full list of information to be provided to the NPRI program office when submitting a change proposal is outlined in appendix A.  The success of any proposal however hinges on appropriate justification for the change, and to this end, key considerations to address when proposing changes to the NPRI are described in section 3. 

If the proponent cannot provide rationales in support of the considerations in section 3, a proposal can still be submitted to ECCC; however information/justification gaps may delay the evaluation, or result in a rejection, of the change proposal.

2.3 When should a change proposal be submitted?

A proposal may be submitted at any time during a calendar year. Depending on the quality and completeness of the proposal, the urgency and/or complexity of the issue, and/or other priorities of the NPRI program, the subsequent timeline for consideration will be determined.

Note that if/when a change proposal is successful, it’s implementation will be subject to the timing of the NPRI Canada Gazette notice publication, which is published biennually prior to (or as early as possible during) the first year to which the 2-year notice applies.  

An acknowledgement of receipt of the proposal will be provided to the proponent within a reasonable time frame. Other correspondence will follow that will indicate if and/or when and how ECCC will proceed with the proposal (see section 4.1 for more details on the process and options for proceeding).

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