CEC Annual Report 

2004

Commission for Environmental Cooperation 
ii

Mission

The CEC facilitates cooperation and public participation to 

foster conservation, protection and enhancement of the North 

American environment for the benefi t of present and future 

generations, in the context of increasing economic, trade and 

social links among Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Reproduction of this document in whole or in part and in any 

form for educational or nonprofi t purposes may be made 

without special permission from the CEC Secretariat, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The CEC would 

appreciate receiving a copy of any publication or material that 

uses this document as a source.

Commission for Environmental Cooperation of North America

393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, bureau 200

Montréal (Québec) Canada H2Y 1N9

Tel: (514) 350-4300; Fax: (514) 350-4314

info@cec.org

www.cec.org

© Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 2007

Disponible en français – Disponible en español
Message from the Council 

In 2004, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. At the same 

time, an independent international review and assessment committee appointed by the Council submitted a report reviewing 

implementation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) since 1994, and made recommendations 

for the future. As Council members, we look forward to the next ten years and have dedicated eff ort this year to charting a new 

course for the CEC.

In its report, the Ten-year Review and Assessment Committee (TRAC) stated that the CEC has been an extraordinarily active 

organization that has helped create a North American environmental community and has achieved substantial results on issues 

such as chemicals management and setting the basis for progress on conservation of North American biodiversity. Th e TRAC 

reported that the CEC has built substantial environmental capacities, advanced the understanding of trade and environment 

linkages, successfully promoted citizen engagement on environmental issues, and increased government accountability 

regarding the enforcement of environmental laws. Th e TRAC also noted that the NAAEC stands out for its provisions on public 

participation and for the unprecedented commitment by the three governments to account internationally for the enforcement of 

their environmental laws. Th ese provisions, the committee noted, make the CEC an international model. 

Th us informed by the TRAC review and based on our experiences on the value of the CEC, we, the members of Council, have taken 

this opportunity to redefi ne our objectives and focus our resources. Th e Puebla Declaration, adopted at our 11th Council session in 

June, sets out our new vision for the CEC, as an organization that is a catalyst for action by the Parties and others to ensure that our 

air is cleaner, our water purer, and our plant and animal species better conserved and protected. To these ends, we have reoriented 

the future work of this international organization into three new priority areas: Information for Decision-making, Capacity Building 

and Trade and Environment. 

In addition to these twin accomplishments, the TRAC evaluation and the Puebla Declaration, our Commission and each of our 

countries have worked diligently, through cooperative initiatives and country-specifi c eff orts described in this report, to protect 

and enhance the environment we share in North America. 

We invite you to examine our progress in this annual report of the CEC for 2004.
iv
Commission for Environmental Cooperation CEC Annual Report 2004 55

Report from the Joint Public Advisory Committee 6

Message from the Executive Director 8

2004 Program Summary 9

Cooperative Achievements 11

Registry of Submissions on Enforcement Matters – Report from 2004 17

Country Reports 23

 Canada Progress Report, 2004 24

 Mexico Progress Report, 2004 38

 United States Progress Report, 2004 44

2004 Financial Statements 49

 Looking Ahead – Approved Budget 63

Table of Contents
6

JPAC held its fi rst meeting of the year in March in Oaxaca, Mexico, in conjunction with the CEC’s symposium on Maize and 

Biodiversity. Th e event drew hundreds of participants many of whom were indigenous peoples who are directly aff ected and very 

much concerned with the issue of transgenic maize in Mexico. Th is is a very sensitive and controversial topic—and one that I am 

proud to say JPAC did not shy away from. Based on our participation in the meeting, JPAC provided a letter to Council with a 

series of recommendations for addressing this complex topic in the fi nal Article 13 report. 

During the fi rst several months of 2004, JPAC actively participated in the Ten-Year Review Committee’s work. JPAC as a whole 

met twice with the TRAC Committee and individual members provided interviews with their consultants on a variety of matters. 

JPAC was very pleased with the TRAC report and expressed its commitment to work with the recommendations. Of particular 

signifi cance was the call to improve relations between the CEC’s institutional partners—Council, JPAC and the Secretariat. JPAC 

held a public session during the June Council session to review the recommendations of the TRAC and prioritize follow up.

JPAC also participated in the review of Council Resolution 00-09 on matters related to Articles 14 and 15. JPAC continues to be

vigilant in its support of the citizen submission process particularly regarding timeliness, transparency, accountability and the 

independence of the Secretariat when developing factual records. 

One of the year’s more interesting initiatives was a plan for capacity building and securing the long-term involvement of Indigenous 

Peoples in the activities of the CEC. Developed in collaboration with the Secretariat it called for some specifi c commitments and actions to be taken in 2005, including the creation of a new permanent position at the Secretariat to be staff ed by an indigenous person 

with responsibility for capacity building, guiding policy relevant work and developing an agenda for Indigenous Peoples within the 

institution, generally. 

In October, JPAC participated in a CEC meeting on Building the Renewable Energy Market in North America. JPAC has a longstanding interest in this important area and issued an Advice to Council providing very specifi c recommendations for how work 

in this area could be built into the new CEC pillars. 

To cap the year, JPAC participated in the development of the new strategic direction for the CEC and the formulation of the three 

new pillars. We held a public session in November and provided concrete Advice to Council on priorities for action under each 

pillar. Given our interest in the subject over the years, I would be remiss if I did not mention JPAC’s disappointment that the program of Children’s Health and the Environment was terminated. 

It was an honour and a pleasure to serve as JPAC chair for 2004. Th e year concluded my second full term with JPAC. In those six 

years I made many new friends and professional contacts and was privileged to participate in many invigorating public meetings.

My life was enriched. I wish JPAC continuing success in its next 10 years.

Donna Tingley

JPAC Chair for 2004

Report from the Joint Public Advisory 

Committee (JPAC) 
7

Joint Public Advisory Committee Members

Commission for Environmental Cooperation

CANADA

ANN BOURGET

Conseillère municipale, 

Associée au Comité exécutif

Hôtel de ville de Québec

2, rue des Jardins

C.P. 700, Haute-Ville

Québec, Québec G1R 4S9

Tel: (418) 641-6411 Ext. 1076 or 641-6169

Fax: (418) 641-6465

E-mail: ann.bourget@ville.quebec.qc.ca

DAN CHRISTMAS

Senior Advisor

Membertou Band Council

Mail address:

P.O Box 1904, Station A

Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6W4

Tel: (902) 564-6466 Ext. 228

Fax: (902) 539-6645

E-mail: danchristmas@membertou.ca

GORD LAMBERT 

Corporate Director 

Sustainable Development

Suncor Energy Inc.

P.O. Box 38, 112 4th Ave. S.W.

Calgary, Alberta T2P 2V5

Tel: (403) 269-8720

Fax: (403) 269-6246

E-mail: glambert@suncor.com

MERRELL-ANN PHARE 

Executive Director/Legal Counsel

Centre for Indigenous Environmental 

Resources

3rd Floor, 245 McDermot Ave

Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0S6

Tel: (204) 956-0660

Fax: (204) 956-1895

E-mail: maphare@cier.ca

DONNA TINGLEY

Executive Director

Clean Air Strategic Alliance

10035, 108 Street NW, Floor 10

Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3E1

Tel: (780) 427-9793

Fax: (780) 422-3127

E-mail: dtingley@casahome.org

JPAC Chair for 2004

MEXICO

ADRIANA NELLY CORREA

Profesor Investigador

Centro de Calidad Ambiental

ITESM Campus Monterrey

Av. Eugenio Garza Sada No. 2501 Sur

Monterrey, Nuevo León 64849

Tel: (011 528) 18 328 4032 / 18 358 1400

Ext. 5266 / 5268

Fax: (011 528) 18 359 6280

E-mail: ancs@itesm.mx

EDUARDO RINCÓN MEJÍA

Profesor Investigador

Facultad de Ingeniería

Departamento de Postgrado

Universidad Autónoma del Estado 

de México

Cerro de Coatepec s/n, Ciudad Universitaria

Toluca, Estado de México, C.P. 50130

Tel: (011 527) 22 214 0855, ext. 222 

y 272-65-74

Fax: (011 527) 22 215 45 12

E-mail: erincon@uaemex.mx; 

rinconsolar@hotmail.com

CARLOS ARMANDO RINCÓN 

VALDÉS 

Director de Proyectos Ambientales para 

México – Estados Unidos 

Environmental Defense/ Defensa Ambiental

1100 Norte Stantol, Suite 805 

El Paso, Texas 79902

Tel: (915) 543-9292

Fax: (915) 543-9115

E-mail: crincon@environmentaldefense.org

CARLOS SANDOVAL

President

Consejo Nacional de Industriales Ecologistas 

Gabriel Mancera No. 1141

Col. Del Valle

México, D.F. 03100

Tel: (011 525) 55 559 1915

Fax: (011 525) 55 575 2337

E-mail: ecologia@conieco.com.mx

HÉCTOR JAVIER SEPÚLVEDA

Director Técnico

Fábrica de Jabón “La Corona” 

Carlos B. Zetina, No. 80,

Fraccionamiento Industrial Xalostoc, 

Ecatepec, Estado de México, C.P. 55340

Tel: (011 525) 55 747 6406

Fax: (011 525) 55 714 3798

E-mail: hsepulveda@fj corona.com.mx

UNITED STATES

PATRICIA CLAREY

Chief of Staff

Offi ce of Governor Schwarzenegger

State Capitol

Sacramento, California 95814

Tel:(916) 445-5106

Fax: (916) 323-9111

E-mail: Pat.Clarey@gov.ca.gov

DINKERRAI DESAI

Environmental Coordinator

US Army Material Command

Directorate of Public Works, Bldg 173

Fort Monmouth

New Jersey 07726

Tel: (732) 532-1475

Fax: (732) 532-6263

E-mail: dinkerrai.desai@mail1.monmouth.

army.mil

ARTURO DURAN

Commissioner

International Boundary 

and Water Commission

United States Section

4171 North Mesa, Suite C-100

El Paso, Texas 79902-1441

Tel: 1 (800) 262-8857 ext. 4101

E-mail: arturoduran@ibwc.state.gov

JANE GARDNER

Manager and Counsel

Remediation Programs

Corporate Environmental Programs

General Electric Company

3135 Easton Turnpike

Fairfi eld, Connecticut 06431

Tel: (203) 373-2932

Fax: (203) 373-2683

E-mail: Jane.gardner@corporate.ge.com

PATRICIA McDONALD

Consultant

4420 Berry Drive #3822

Wilson, Wyoming 83014

Tel: (307) 734-2758

Fax: (307) 734-2758

E-mail: pattyamcdonald@earthlink.net
8

This year marks the tenth anniversary of NAFTA and its side agreement, the North American Agreement on Environmental 

Cooperation. Just as NAFTA sought to dismantle barriers to trade and investment, the NAAEC sought to build bridges to 

environmental sustainability. Together, the environmental provisions of NAFTA and the NAAEC mark our determination to 

couple economic growth and liberalization of trade with international cooperation and an upward harmonization of environmental 

standards and performance in each of our countries.

In the fall of 2003, the CEC Council mandated the Ten-year Review and Advisory Committee (TRAC), composed of two 

representatives from each of the three NAFTA countries, to assess NAAEC’s implementation over its first decade and provide 

recommendations for the future.

In its report to Council published in June and available from <www.cec.org/trac>, the TRAC committee noted that the NAAEC 

stands out for its provisions for public participation and for the unprecedented commitment by the three governments to account

internationally for the enforcement of their environmental laws. These provisions make the CEC an international model.

The committee also found:

■ Th e CEC was and remains a unique, innovative and important institution.

■ As well as promoting regional environmental cooperation, the CEC plays an important role in addressing the issues around 

environment and trade.

■ Th e CEC has pursued both its environmental cooperation agenda and its environment and trade agenda in active 

collaboration with civil society.

■ Th e three Parties have benefi ted signifi cantly from the NAAEC.

The Council ended its June Council session by responding with the Puebla Declaration (see Annex in this section). That declaration 

looked forward with renewed commitment and outlined a new strategy for the work of the CEC.

This year also saw the publication of an independent Secretariat report entitled Maize and Biodiversity: The Effects of Transgenic 

Maize in Mexico: Key Findings and Recommendations. This report was the result of two years of research and public consultations 

conducted with the assistance of an independent expert advisory group.

Highlights of other achievements in 2004 can be found in the Cooperative Achievements of this report.

William V. Kennedy

Executive Director

CEC Secretariat

Message from the Executive Director 
CEC Annual Report 2004 9

GOAL 1: To foster understanding of the state of our environment and its relation to the 

economy and trade in North America

Objective A: The public and the Parties have a better understanding of the state of and outlook for the 

North American environment and its relation to human and ecosystem health

Strategy 1: Facilitating data harmonization and information sharing and promoting integrated 

monitoring across North America to foster better understanding of the current status 

of the North American environment

Strategy 2: Investigating potential environmental threats and issues of common concern by 

performing comparative analyses and assessments using comparable environmental 

information collected across North America

Strategy 3: Assessing the impacts of environmental degradation on human and ecosystem health in 

North America and disseminating assessment results to decision makers and the public

Objective B: Trade officials and the public understand the environmental effects of liberalized trade and 

use that understanding to inform new agreements

Strategy 1: Developing a strategic plan for the Environment, Economy and Trade program

Strategy 2: Assessing and disseminating findings on environment/trade relationships in a 

transparent manner

GOAL 2: To act as a catalyst to improve domestic law and policy and enhance environmental 

enforcement and compliance across North America

Objective A: Enhance cooperation in the development, improvement and dissemination of information 

about environmental laws, policies, standards and technical requirements

Strategy 1: Improving the understanding of regulatory and technical requirements, experiences 

and management techniques in selected sectors

Strategy 2: Ensuring that online information about North American environmental laws and 

policies is up-to-date and easily accessible

Strategy 3: Improving the coordination of environmentally sound management and tracking of 

transboundary hazardous waste in North America

Objective B: The Parties enhance compliance with, and enforcement of, their environmental laws 

and regulations

Strategy 1: Providing a forum for the Parties and stakeholders to come together on issues of 

common concern

Strategy 2: Ensuring that the Articles 14/15 process yields information that can enhance 

environmental enforcement and compliance in North America

2004 Program Summary
10

GOAL 3: To mobilize international cooperation to resolve critical North American 

environmental issues

Objective A: Conserve North America’s biodiversity and use it sustainably

Strategy 1: Implementing the Biodiversity Strategic Plan through collaboration and cooperation

Strategy 2: Promoting cooperation for the conservation and maintenance of North American 

regions of ecological significance

Strategy 3: Promoting the conservation of North American migratory and transboundary species, 

and other species identified by the Parties

Strategy 4: Facilitating data and information sharing across North America and promoting 

integrated monitoring and assessment to increase understanding of the state of North 

American biodiversity

Strategy 5: Facilitating communication, networking, and identification and sharing of best 

practices, priorities, and opportunities for education and training

Strategy 6: Promoting collaborative responses to threats facing North American ecosystems, 

habitats and species

Strategy 7: Identifying and evaluating potential collaborative opportunities for biodiversity 

conservation and sustainable use of biological resources that arise from regional trade

Objective B: Ensure North American environmental, economic and trade policies are 

mutually supportive

Strategy 1: Promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency in North America

Strategy 2: Fostering understanding of environmental labeling

Strategy 3: Encouraging the disclosure of relevant environmental information

Strategy 4: Fostering green procurement in North America

Objective C: Prevent or reduce pollution impacts on human and ecosystem health

Strategy 1: Facilitating the development and implementation of North American strategies and 

actions to protect human health and the environment

Strategy 2: Fostering private sector actions to adopt sound approaches to environmental protection 

and conservation

GOAL 4: That all CEC activities strive to provide a forum for public dialogue and participation 

concerning environmental issues in North America

Objective A: The North American public and NAAEC Parties view the citizen submission process 

as a useful and valuable mechanism for enhancing enforcement of and compliance 

with environmental law in North America

Objective B: The CEC will engage and inform the North American public in its programming 

and operations
CEC Annual Report 2004 11

1. Introduction

Th e year 2004 marked the tenth anniversary of the creation of the 

CEC. On 14 June, a six-member committee (two each from Canada, Mexico and the United States) appointed by Council submitted to Council a report reviewing the implementation of NAAEC 

since 1994 and making recommendations for the future. In its 

report, the Ten-year Review and Assessment Committee (TRAC) 

stated that the NAAEC stands out for its provisions on public participation and for the unprecedented commitment by the three 

governments to account internationally for the enforcement of 

their environmental laws. It stated that these provisions make 

the CEC an international model. Th e TRAC noted that the CEC 

has been an extraordinarily active organization which has helped 

create a North American environmental community and has 

achieved substantial results on issues such as chemicals management and setting the basis for progress on conservation of North 

American biodiversity. Th e TRAC reported that the CEC has built 

substantial environmental capacities; advanced the understanding 

of trade and environment linkages; successfully promoted citizen 

engagement on environmental issues; and increased government 

accountability regarding the enforcement of environmental laws. 

Th e TRAC noted a number of issues that require attention for the 

CEC to realize its full potential. It recommended engaging more 

fully the three countries’ ministers of the environment; clarifying 

CEC governance (the roles of Council, the Secretariat and JPAC 

as they relate to the cooperative agenda and the citizen submissions process); improving outreach and mobilizing the CEC’s 

constituency; sharpening the programming focus; establishing an 

adequate funding base for the future; and continuing to focus on 

integrating capacity building into the CEC’s activities. 

 At the 11th Regular Session of Council held in June, in Puebla, 

Mexico, Council issued a declaration (the Puebla Declaration, 

see Annex) stating that the tenth anniversary of the NAAEC and 

NAFTA was an occasion to assess the work of the CEC and an 

opportunity to review its progress, re-affi rm the Council members’ commitment to the CEC, and set directions for the future, 

using the TRAC report as an important basis for its deliberations. 

In the Puebla Declaration, the Council members state that looking 

forward, they envision the CEC as an organization that is both a 

catalyst and a forum for action by the Parties on environmental 

matters. Th ey state their desire that the CEC be known for concrete 

results as well as quality information and analysis that have policy 

relevance to the three countries. Council committed to grounding 

the CEC’s work program, starting in 2005, in results-oriented strategic plans for three priorities: information for decision-making, 

capacity building, and trade and environment, and it recognized 

that this would involve a transition period. Council stated that it 

continued to support the Secretariat’s work under Article 13 of the 

NAAEC to identify emerging issues and to provide recommendations to the Parties for addressing these issues. It also expressed 

its continued support for the submissions on enforcement matters 

process, and committed to exploring ways for each Party to communicate how matters raised in factual records may be addressed 

over time. Th e Council stated that it wants to foster partnerships 

to grow the constituencies engaged in the work of the CEC. It 

stated further that it continued to place great value on advice from 

JPAC.

2. Conservation and Biodiversity

A. Implementing the Biodiversity Strategic Plan Through 

Collaboration and Cooperation

In September, the Biodiversity Conservation Working Group 

established objectives for the Five-year Action Plan to implement 

the Strategic Plan for North American Cooperation in the 

Conservation of Biodiversity. 

B. Promoting Cooperation for the Conservation and 

Maintenance of North American Regions of Ecological 

Significance

1. North American Marine Protected Areas Network 

(NAMPAN) 

Stakeholders from the three countries agreed to establish a pilot 

network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Baja California 

Cooperative Achievements
12

to Bering (B2B) Sea region. Th e network will be based on the B2B 

Priority Conservation Areas, the Marine Ecoregions classifi cation 

system, and the MPA management eff ectiveness project. 

2. Grasslands Ecosystem Network (Grassnet)

Work began on identifying grasslands priority conservation areas 

on a North American scale as part of a grasslands conservation 

network. As part of the Secretariat’s ongoing eff orts to link trade 

issues with biodiversity conservation matters, a survey on grassfed cattle/bison was created in collaboration with the Secretariat’s 

Environment, Economy and Trade program. 

C. Promoting the Conservation of North American 

Migratory and Transboundary Species, and Other Species 

Identified by the Parties

1. Marine and Terrestrial Species of Common Conservation 

Concern

Draft North American Conservation Action Plans (NACAPs) for 

the leatherback sea turtle, the humpback whale, and the pinkfooted shearwater, underwent broad peer review and were being 

fi nalized. In late October, CEC representatives joined school 

children from Canada, Mexico and the United States in Zihuatanejo, in the Mexican state of Guerrero to celebrate the release 

of marine turtle hatchlings into the wild. A species book that will 

include terrestrial and marine ecoregion maps for all the species 

of common conservation concern was being fi nalized. 

 Initial draft NACAPs were developed by trinational experts for 

the black tailed prairie dog, the ferruginous hawk, and the burrowing owl (grassland species identifi ed by Canadian and Mexican wildlife agencies) at a July meeting facilitated by the CEC.

2. Assessment of the conservation status of birds 

Regional information on the status of birds was consolidated for 

integration with country-wide data from Canada and the United 

States as part of a fi rst attempt to compile such information on a 

North American scale. 

D. Facilitating Data and Information Sharing across 

North America and Promoting Integrated Monitoring and 

Assessment to Increase Understanding of the State of 

North American Biodiversity

As part of the implementation of the NAMPAN, a database was 

created to provide access to cross-linked information on marine 

ecoregions, organizations, and species. 

E. Promoting Collaborative Responses to Threats Facing 

North American Ecosystems, Habitats and Species

A report on “Status, Environmental Th reats, and Policy Considerations for Invasive Seaweeds for the Pacifi c Coast of North 

America” was completed and submitted for peer review. A trinational task team was being formed to target and test a risk analysis model for invasive species of common concern.

3. Environment, Economy, and Trade (EET)

A. Pursue Development of the Strategic Plan for the EET 

Program

Meetings of trade and environment offi cials were held in May 

and September to develop a strategic plan for understanding the 

links between the environment, the economy and trade in North 

America. Th e plan will serve as a foundation for achieving the 

trade and environment objectives of the Puebla Declaration.

B. Assessing Linkages between Trade and Environment

Two studies were published to further understanding of the 

environmental impacts of agricultural trade liberalization and 

identify agricultural subsectors requiring additional analysis. 

Updates were made to information gathered in 2000 on the production and management of hazardous wastes. Th e Secretariat 

participated in a strategic dialogue on commodities, trade, poverty and sustainable development organized by the International 

Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development and the International Institute for Environment and Development. Th e Secretariat published a report on payment schemes for the provision of 

environmental services. It conducted a survey on meat consumption habits of North Americans as part of a study that seeks to 

determine the viability of eco-labeled grass-fed cattle and bison 

as a market-based mechanism for conserving grassland biodiversity. It produced a background paper entitled “An Examination of 

Trade in Environmentally Preferable Goods and Services” that 

classifi es and quantifi es trade in the NAFTA region. 

C. Promoting Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency 

in North America

Renewable Energy Certifi cates (RECs) have been identifi ed as 

a key market-based mechanism to promote the development of 

renewable energy in North America. Th e Secretariat sponsored a 

special session on “Forging North American Energy Security” at 

a meeting organized by the North American Forum on Integration focusing on the challenges and opportunities related to the 

development of a credible market for RECs. Th e Secretariat published a report on the status of REC tracking systems in North 

America. In April, the Secretariat facilitated small breakout sessions at the North American Energy Summit hosted by the Western Governors’ Association. In May, the Secretariat participated 

in a seminar co-sponsored by the Renewable Energy and International Law Project, the British Embassy and the Renewable 

Energy and Energy Effi ciency Partnership focusing on increasing 

investment in clean energy practices. In October, in collaboration 

with JPAC, the Secretariat held a public meeting on building a 

renewable energy market in North America. 

 In November, the Secretariat hosted a workshop with the EPA 

and the World Resources Institute on avoided emissions calcula-
CEC Annual Report 2004 13

tion methodologies. A paper was published laying the groundwork for determining which non-modeling-based methodology 

can provide the best estimates of displaced emissions.

 Th e Secretariat prepared a report on environmentally preferable uses of biomass in collaboration with Natural Resources 

Canada and the National Research Council. 

 Th e Secretariat was invited to join a partnership composed 

of the Renewable Energy and International Law Project, Baker 

& McKenzie, Yale University, and the Renewable Energy and 

Energy Effi ciency Partnership to study trade aspects of renewable energy. A report was being fi nalized discussing trade agreements and domestic laws on investment and renewable energy 

sources in the NAFTA context.

D. Fostering Understanding of Environmental Labeling

Th e Secretariat delivered a presentation on environmental labeling at the United Nations Environment Program’s 8th International High-Level Seminar on Sustainable Consumption 

and Production in November and published an analysis of the 

environment, economic, and trade benefi ts for Mexico of various 

defi nitions of environmental goods and services. Th e Secretariat 

launched a database cataloguing information about sustainable consumption and production initiatives in North America, 

online at <http://www.p2win.org/nasca>. 

E. Encouraging Disclosure of Financially-Relevant 

Environmental Information

Th e Secretariat participated in an inter-American forum on 

“Globalizing Civil Society from the inside out” in October and 

co-hosted a meeting with the US Environmental Protection 

Agency that examined the role of environmental agencies in 

North America in fostering transparency and disclosure. It also 

published two papers in collaboration with Environment Canada, one on the mining industry and another on the business 

value case of environmental management and disclosure. 

F. Fostering Green Procurement in North America

In February, the Secretariat took part in a conference aimed at 

identifying environmental expectations in the Canadian, Mexican and US markets for paper. Th e Eco-SAT self-assessment 

tool became fully automated and was posted on the web. Th e 

North American Green Purchasing Initiative and the Secretariat fi nalized their strategic plan to increase green purchasing of 

renewable energy, cleaning products and offi ce supplies.

G. Following-up and Completing the Sustainable 

Palm Project

Th e initiative on sustainable palm was completed. Th e Secretariat conducted a survey that showed a majority of Christian 

congregations would be willing to pay nearly double the current 

price to purchase palm fronds through a program guaranteeing 

sustainable harvesting. Th e Secretariat published a report detailing a pilot sales project and certifi cation guidelines for palms.

 4. Pollutants and Health

A. North American Pollutant Release and Transfer 

Register (PRTR) Project

Since 1995, the Secretariat has been working with the national 

PRTR programs of Canada (National Pollutant Release Inventory), 

the United States (Toxics Release Inventory), and Mexico (Registro de Emisiones y Transferencia de Contaminantes) to develop a 

North American profi le of pollutant releases and transfers, promote public access to environmental information, and enhance 

comparability among the national systems. Its annual publication, 

Taking Stock, contains a compilation of information for the industries and chemicals that are common to the national PRTR lists. 

To date, this “matched” data set only covers the United States and 

Canada. In June 2004, Mexico adopted regulations to provide for a 

mandatory and publicly accessible PRTR system and began making a list of chemicals that will be subject to the reporting requirement. Taking Stock 2001 was released in May 2004. It showed that 

overall, North American industrial releases and transfers of chemicals decreased by seven percent from 1995 to 2001. Flexible access 

to the data sets is available through the Secretariat’s Taking Stock 

Online web site <http://www.cec.org/takingstock>. 

B. Air Quality Project

Th e Secretariat completed an assessment of the potential for 

sharing electronically air emissions inventory information from 

each country in North America through a distributed database 

framework. Th e report, “Next Steps towards a Shared Emissions 

Database for North America,” provides a number of recommendations on possible future directions for electronic data sharing 

of air emissions inventories among the NAFTA partners. Th e 

Secretariat published a report on 2002 emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, mercury and carbon dioxide from fossil fuel 

burning electric power plants in North America. Th e Secretariat 

also produced a report on North American air quality and climate change standards, regulations, planning and enforcement 

at the national, state/provincial and local levels.

C. Sound Management of Chemicals Program

Council Resolution 95-05, adopted by the Council on 13 October 1995, in Oaxaca, Mexico, created the Sound Management of 

Chemicals program. Th e resolution created a working group composed of senior government offi cials from the Parties and set out 

a framework, together with specifi c commitments, for working 

together and with the Secretariat in addressing the sound man-
14

agement of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals in 

North America. Th e working group was instructed to fi rst address 

the list of persistent organic pollutants included in United Nations 

Environment Program Governing Council Decision 18/32 of May 

1995, as well as “certain heavy metals.” In 2004, North American 

Regional Action Plans (NARAPS) were being developed for lindane and dioxins/furans/hexachlorobenzene (as a group).

 Two areas in Mexico were selected for pilot projects aimed at 

improving techniques for controlling malaria without the use of 

DDT. Core sampling of a remote lake in Mexico provided a historic profi le of DDT deposition. Implementation of Phase II of 

the Mercury NARAP continued with a mercury wet deposition 

monitoring initiative in Mexico. A project to monitor fi rst birth 

mothers’ cord blood in Mexico, Canada and the United States 

was implemented with fi nancial support from the World Bank. 

Th e results are intended to provide a preliminary baseline of 

contaminant levels in the region from a survey utilizing uniform 

sampling and analytical methodologies. A decision document 

was prepared for lead, and the Parties agreed to develop an oversight procedure for monitoring lead reduction activities without 

the implementation of a formal NARAP. Th e Council authorized 

the Secretariat to be the executing agency for a World Bank project providing fi nancial support to Mexico for the development 

of its National Implementation Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants under the Stockholm Convention. 

D. Children’s Health and the Environment in North America

In June 2003, Council gave approval to populate a core set of 12 

indicators of children’s environmental health and instructed the 

three countries to prepare the fi rst North American indicators 

report. Th is work commenced in 2004. 

5. Law and Policy 

A. Comparative Report on Environmental Standards

Th e Secretariat fi nalized a report on comparative standards for 

intensive livestock operations (ILOs) in Canada, Mexico and 

the United States, drawing conclusions about environmental 

requirements imposed on intensive livestock operations and 

making recommendations on improving ILO management in 

North America. 

B. Environmentally Sound Management and Tracking of 

Hazardous Waste

Work continued on developing a North American approach for 

environmentally sound management (ESM) of hazardous waste 

and on a feasibility study for a pilot project on electronic tracking 

of hazardous waste movements among the NAFTA countries. 

Following recognition that spent lead-acid batteries (SLABs) are 

a waste stream of mutual concern in North America, the Secretariat worked on compiling background material, criteria, and 

options for strengthening ESM practices, including as regards 

tracking and transportation of SLABs in the region. 

C. Enforcement and Compliance Cooperation

Th e Secretariat began to study options for its involvement in 

expanding to a trinational level an existing web-based assistance 

center off ering compliance information for the import of hazardous 

wastes from Mexico to the United States <www.bordercenter.org>. 

 As part of its capacity-building agenda, the Secretariat cosponsored a series of events on environmental enforcement: 

a) a seminar on intelligence-led enforcement for wildlife crimes; 

b) a seminar on vessel pollution enforcement training; and c) an 

international symposium for judges focusing on environmental 

law and comparing judicial practices across North America and 

in selected nations abroad.

D. Sustainable Use and Conservation of Freshwater 

in North America

Th e Secretariat identifi ed and disseminated information on case 

studies demonstrating national and local experiences and best 

practices in the area of water quality in North America. With 

the support of Mexico’s Institute of Water Technology, successful water quality practices of indigenous communities in Oaxaca 

and Puebla, Mexico were recorded in video format.

E. Environmental Management Systems to Promote 

Compliance and Environmental Performance

Th e Secretariat was fi nalizing a report on the use of environmental management systems in small and medium-size businesses in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. 

6. Article 13 Report

Article 13 of the NAAEC provides that the Secretariat may prepare a report for Council on any matter within the scope of the 

CEC annual work program, or, on notice to Council and unless 

Council objects by a two-thirds vote, on any other environmental matter related to the cooperative functions of the Agreement. Following a 2002 petition from members of the public 

requesting the Secretariat to investigate the eff ects of transgenic 

maize in Mexico, and mindful of a request from JPAC that the 

Secretariat focus more attention on issues relevant to indigenous peoples, in 2004, the Secretariat published a report, entitled 

Maize and Biodiversity: Th e Eff ects of Transgenic Maize in Mexico: Key Findings and Recommendations, following a two-year 

research and consultation process conducted with the assistance 

of an independent expert advisory group. 
CEC Annual Report 2004 15

7. Capacity Building for Pollution Prevention

Since 1995, the CEC has worked to advance the concept of pollution prevention in North America, establishing a pollution prevention fund that has granted 105 loans totaling approximately 

US$3,000,000 to projects that have prevented chemical releases 

to the environment and achieved signifi cant water savings. 

Annex: Puebla Declaration: Eleventh Regular Session 

of the CEC Council

Puebla, Mexico, 23 June 2004—We, the environment ministers 

of Canada, Mexico and the United States, members of the Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC or 

“the Commission”), met for our annual regular session on 22 

and 23 June 2004. 

Th e year 2004 marks the tenth anniversary of the North 

American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) 

and the North American Free Trade Agreement and is an occasion to assess our work. We see this as an opportunity to review 

our progress, re-affi rm our commitment to the CEC, and set directions for the future. Th e report of the independent Ten-year 

Review and Assessment Committee has provided an important 

basis for our deliberations. 

Looking forward, our vision of the CEC is of an organization that is a catalyst for action by the Parties and others to 

ensure our air is cleaner, our water purer, and our plant and 

animal species better conserved and protected, as our countries’ 

economic relationship grows. We also see the organization as 

a forum through which we can discuss and facilitate regional 

action on our common global commitments. Over the next ten 

years we want the CEC to be known for concrete results and for 

quality information and analysis, which have policy relevance to 

the three countries. 

We recognize the value of the CEC’s work on environment, economy and trade; biodiversity conservation; pollutants 

and health; and law and policy. Looking forward, we commit to 

grounding the CEC’s work program, starting in 2005, in resultsoriented strategic plans for three priorities: information for decision-making, capacity building, and trade and environment. 

Th ese are priorities that the CEC is uniquely positioned to help 

the three countries address together—and separately—for the 

benefi t of North America. 

We want the CEC to be an organization recognized for its 

credible, balanced and timely information on the North American environment, and want to ensure that this information is 

available and accessible to all interested parties in order to provide governments, the private sector, and citizens alike with 

information to address the key environmental challenges and 

opportunities facing the region. We support strengthening the 

CEC’s information-gathering activities, databases, and communications, and making linkages with other information systems, such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. 

In developing the strategic plan for information, we will 

build a knowledge base related to contaminants, the integrity of 

our ecosystems, and our ability to ensure environmental security at our borders. We will focus on information that is key to 

providing answers regarding the state of our North American 

environment, and will develop and use information technologies 

that will help us access and share this information. 

We recognize the diff erent capacities of the Parties and 

the continuing, urgent need to focus on institutional capacity 

building in order to sustain targeted results. We acknowledge 

that this is especially important for Mexico, and want the CEC 

to assist those concerned in the three countries—governments, 

the private sector, environmental organizations, academia, 

indigenous and local communities, and others—in gradually 

strengthening the capacity for sound environmental management across North America. 

In developing a capacity-building strategic plan, we will 

focus on priorities such as our abilities to assess and manage 

chemicals of concern, undertake pollution prevention, participate in biodiversity conservation, and improve our enforcement eff orts. 

We want to build on the CEC’s recognized expertise on 

trade and environmental linkages, and to address specifi c trade 

and environmental issues more eff ectively. We will enhance the 

positive working relationship that has been developed with our 

trade counterparts to ensure trade and environment policies are 

mutually supportive. We will continue our work with the NAFTA 

Free Trade Commission, under the Article 10(6) Working Group, 

to develop a strategic plan on trade and environment. 

As we work to develop the plan, we will consider, among 

other priorities, areas which could include: establishing key elements to enhance markets for renewable energy; addressing 

issues related to trade pathways for invasive species; trade and 

enforcement of environmental laws, including enforcement of 

domestic laws that address transboundary trade in environmentally sensitive goods and materials; environmental procurement 

practices; market-based approaches to connect North American 

ecoregions; and sharing, as appropriate, information on methodologies for conducting environmental reviews of trade agreements with a view to better assessing the environmental eff ects 

of NAFTA. 

Th e NAAEC and the CEC have been a bold ten-year initiative in building a continental framework for trilateral environmental cooperation within the context of increasing trade and 

economic ties amongst our three countries. We recognize the 

signifi cant progress accomplished and the invaluable contribu-
16

tion of the Secretariat and the Joint Public Advisory Committee (JPAC), as well as the eff orts of the CEC’s working groups. 

We know it is critical to streamline the work of the CEC and to 

focus our work on generating concrete, measurable results that 

will make a diff erence to the environment in North America. We 

recognize that there will be a transition period as we adjust the 

work program and apply new approaches to achieve our goals. 

While we are focusing on the CEC’s work around three 

main themes, it is also important to identify and keep abreast of 

emerging issues, particularly those which have special relevance 

for North America. We continue to support the CEC’s Article 13 

work to identify emerging issues, and to provide recommendations to the Parties for addressing these issues. 

We continue to be supportive of the process for submissions 

on enforcement matters, and commit to exploring ways for each 

Party to communicate how matters raised in factual records may 

be addressed over time. 

As we move to the next ten years in the life of the CEC, we 

look to a skilled Secretariat to help us achieve our vision for the 

organization. We are committed to strengthening the relationship 

amongst all parts of the CEC—the Council, the Secretariat and 

JPAC. We seek to grow the constituencies engaged in the work 

of the CEC by including a broad and balanced spectrum of other 

levels of government, including local governments, environmental 

groups, academics, the private sector, indigenous and local communities, civil society, and others. We envision a strong role for 

the CEC in promoting partnerships across this spectrum. We will 

continue to place great value on advice from JPAC, which refl ects 

the diversity and innovative views of its members. 

We have important work ahead, and we are confi dent that 

our strong commitment to the CEC will contribute to a cleaner, 

healthier, and more sustainable North American environment 

for future generations. 
CEC Annual Report 2004 17

SUBMISSIONS ON ENFORCEMENT 

MATTERS – REPORT FOR 2004

ID. NUMBER SUBMITTERS END-OF-YEAR STATUS

SEM-00-005 Academia Sonorense de Derechos Humanos

and Domingo Gutierrez Mendivil

Final factual record released to the public. 

Process terminated. 

SEM-00-006 Comisión de Solidaridad y Defensa de los 

Derechos Humanos, A.C.

Preparing factual record.

SEM-02-001 Canadian Nature Federation et al. Preparing factual record.

SEM-02-003 Sierra Legal Defence Fund et al. Preparing factual record.

SEM-02-004 Arcadio Pesqueira Senday et al. Process terminated by Submitters’ withdrawal.

SEM-03-001 Waterkeeper Alliance, et al. Process terminated under Article 15(1).

SEM-03-003 Dr. Raquel Gutierrez Najera, et al Determining whether a factual record is 

warranted.

SEM-03-004 Angel Lara García Awaiting Council's decision on the 

development of a factual record.

SEM-03-005 Waterkeeper Alliance, et al. Preparing factual record.

SEM-03-006 Academia Sonorense de Derechos Humanos, 

A.C. and Domingo Gutiérrez Mendívil

Process terminated under Article 15(1).

SEM-04-001 Francisco H. Garza Vara et al. Determining whether a factual record is 

warranted.

SEM-04-002 Academia Sonorense de Derechos Humanos, 

A.C. and Domingo Gutierrez Mendivil

Reviewing under Article 14.

SEM-04-003 Centro de Derechos Humanos Tepeyac del Istmo 

de Tehuantepec, A.C. et al.

Process terminated under Article 14(1).

SEM-04-004 The Friends of the Oldman River Process terminated under Article 14(1).

SEM-04-005 Waterkeeper Alliance et al. Awaiting a revised submission that meets the 

criteria of Article 14(1).

SEM-04-006 Canadian Nature Federation et al. Awaiting Council's decision on the 

development of a factual record.

SEM-04-007 Quebec Association Against Air Pollution 

(Association québécoise de lutte contre la

pollution atmosphérique)

Awaiting Party's response under Article 14(2).
18

Submission ID: SEM-00-005 (MOLYMEX II)

Submitter(s): Academia Sonorense de Derechos 

Humanos, A.C. and Domingo Gutiérrez 

Mendívil

Party: Mexico

Date received: 6 April 2000

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters allege that Mexico failed to eff ectively 

enforce the General Law of Ecological Equilibrium and 

Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio 

Ecologico y la Proteccion al Ambiente—LGEEPA) in relation 

to the operation of the company Molymex, S.A. de C.V. 

(Molymex) in the town of Cumpas, Sonora, Mexico.

2004 Events:

1. On 17 May 2004, the Secretariat submitted a draft factual 

record to Council, for a 45-day comment period on the 

accuracy of the draft .

2. On 25 August 2004, the Secretariat submitted a fi nal 

factual record to Council for Council's vote on whether to 

make the fi nal factual record publicly available. 

3. On 24 September 2004, the Council voted to instruct 

the Secretariat to make the fi nal factual record publicly 

available.

4. On 8 October 2004, the fi nal factual record was publicly 

released. Process terminated.

Submission ID: SEM-00-006 (TARAHUMARA)

Submitter(s): Comisión de Solidaridad y Defensa de los

Derechos Humanos, A.C.

Party: Mexico

Date received: 9 June 2000

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters allege a failure by Mexico to eff ectively enforce 

its environmental law by denying access to environmental 

justice to Indigenous communities in the Sierra Tarahumara 

in the State of Chihuahua. Th ey particularly assert failures to 

eff ectively enforce environmental law relative to the citizen 

complaint process, to alleged environmental crimes and other 

to alleged violations with respect to forest resources and the 

environment in the Sierra Tarahumara.

2004 Events:

Th e Secretariat continued the process of preparing a factual 

record which began in 2003.

Submission ID: SEM-02-001 (ONTARIO LOGGING)

Submitter(s): Canadian Nature Federation et al.

Party: Canada

Date received: 6 February 2002

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

The Submitters assert that Canada is failing to effectively 

enforce section 6(a) of the Migratory Bird Regulations (MBR) 

adopted under the Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994, with 

respect to migratory bird nest destruction by clearcut logging 

in Ontario.

2004 Events:

1. On 12 March 2004, the Council voted to instruct the 

Secretariat to develop a factual record. 

2. On 30 June 2004, the Secretariat posted a request for 

information relevant to the factual record on its web site.

Submission ID: SEM-02-003 (PULP & PAPER)

Submitter(s): Sierra Legal Defence Fund et al.

Party: Canada

Date received: 8 May 2002

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

The submitters allege that Canada is failing to effectively 

enforce the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries 

Act, and provisions of the Pulp and Paper Effluent 

Regulations, against pulp and paper mills in Quebec, Ontario, 

and the Atlantic provinces.

2004 Events:

1. On 15 January 2004, the Secretariat placed a work plan 

on its web site or otherwise made it available to the public 

and stakeholders.

2. On 01 March 2004, the Secretariat posted a request for 

information relevant to the factual record on its web site. 
CEC Annual Report 2004 19

Submission ID: SEM-02-004 (EL BOLUDO PROJECT)

Submitter(s): Arcadio Pesqueira Senday et al.

Party: Mexico

Date received: 23 August 2002

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to eff ectively enforce 

the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental 

Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección 

al Ambiente—LGEEPA), paragraphs III and IV of Article 15 

of the LGEEPA Hazardous Waste Regulations and the Mining 

Law and its Regulations, with respect to the “El Boludo” gold 

mining project on the Submitters’ land, in the Municipality of 

Trincheras, Sonora, Mexico.

2004 Events:

1. On 17 May 2004, the Secretariat informed Council that 

the Secretariat considers that the submission warrants 

development of a factual record

2. On 7 July 2004, the Submitters requested the Secretariat in 

writing to withdraw the submission. Process terminated.

Submission ID: SEM-03-001 

 (ONTARIO POWER GENERATION)

Submitter(s): Waterkeeper Alliance et al.

Party: Canada

Date received: 1 May 2003

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e submitters assert that Canada is failing to eff ectively 

enforce sections 166 and 176 of the Canadian Environmental 

Protection Act and section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act, with 

respect to emissions of mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen 

oxides from Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) coal-powered 

facilities.

2004 Events:

1. On 28 May 2004, the Secretariat determined not to 

recommend the preparation of a factual record. Th e process 

was terminated. 

Submission ID: SEM-03-003 (LAKE CHAPALA II)

Submitter(s): Dr. Raquel Gutierrez Najera et al.

Party: Mexico

Date received: 23 May 2003

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to eff ectively 

enforce its environmental law with respect to the management 

of the Lerma-Chapala-Santiago-Pacífi co basin, resulting 

in serious environmental deterioration and uneven water 

distribution in the basin, as well as the risk that Lake Chapala 

and its migratory birds will eventually disappear. 

2004 Events:

1. On 31 March 2004, the Secretariat received a response from 

the concerned government Party and began considering 

whether to recommend a factual record. 

Submission ID: SEM-03-004 (ALCA-IZTAPALAPA II)

Submitter(s): Angel Lara García

Party: Mexico

Date received: 17 June 2003

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitter asserts that Mexico is failing to eff ectively 

enforce Article 150 of the General Law of Ecological Balance 

and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilíbrio 

Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente—LGEEPA), with respect 

to a citizen complaint fi led with the Offi ce of the Federal 

Attorney for Environmental Protection (Procuraduría Federal 

de Protección al Ambiente—Profepa) in 1995, regarding 

environmental irregularities in the operation of a footwear 

materials factory located in the Santa Isabel Industrial 

neighborhood of Iztapalapa Delegation in Mexico, D.F., where 

the Submitter lives.

2004 Events:

1. On 23 August 2004, the Secretariat informed Council that 

the Secretariat considers that the submission warrants 

development of a factual record. 
20

Submission ID: SEM-03-005 (MONTREAL TECHNOPARC)

Submitter(s): Waterkeeper Alliance et al.

Party: Canada

Date received: 14 August 2003

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e submitters assert that Canada is failing to eff ectively 

enforce section 36(3) of the Fisheries Act, with respect to 

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other pollutants being discharged 

from Technoparc, the site of an historic industrial and 

municipal waste landfi ll.

2004 Events:

1. On 19 April 2004, the Secretariat informed Council that 

the Secretariat considers that the submission warrants 

development of a factual record. 

2. On 20 August 2004, the Council voted to instruct the 

Secretariat to develop a Factual Record. 

3. On 16 September 2004, the Secretariat placed a work plan 

on its web site or otherwise made it available to the public 

and stakeholders. 

Submission ID: SEM-03-006 (CYTRAR III)

Submitter(s): Academia Sonorense de Derechos Humanos, 

A.C. and Domingo Gutiérrez Mendívil

Party: Mexico

Date received: 15 August 2003

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e submission asserts that Mexico is failing to eff ectively 

enforce its environmental law in relation to the establishment 

and operation of the Cytrar landfi ll in Sonora, Mexico. 

2004 Events:

1. On 27 October 2004, the Secretariat determined not 

to recommend the preparation of a factual record. Th e 

process was terminated. 

Submission ID: SEM-04-001 

 (HAZARDOUS WASTE IN ARTEAGA)

Submitter(s): Francisco H. Garza Vara et al.

Party: Mexico

Date received: 27 January 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to eff ectively 

enforce its environmental laws by not properly processing their 

complaint against the operation of companies, Ecolimpio de 

México, SA de CV, and Transportes J. Guadalupe Jiménez, SA.

2004 Events:

1. On 29 January 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged receipt 

of a submission and began a preliminary analysis of it 

under the guidelines. 

2. On 20 February 2004, the Secretariat notifi ed the 

submitter(s) that the submission did not meet all of the 

Article 14(1) criteria and the submitter(s) had 30 days to 

provide the Secretariat with a revised submission that 

conforms with Article 14(1). 

3. On 16 March 2004, the Secretariat received a revised 

submission and began to analyze it.

4. On 20 April 2004, the Secretariat determined that part 

of the revised submission did not meet the Article 14(1) 

criteria and the Secretariat allowed Submitters a thirty-day 

term to provide more information for it to reconsider its 

determination prior to considering the merits of requesting 

a response from the concerned government Party. 

5. On 25 May 2004, the Secretariat received more 

information from the Submitters. 

6. On 30 June 2004, the Secretariat determined that the 

revised ubmission met the criteria of Article 14(1) and 

requested a response from the concerned government 

Party in accordance with Article 14(2). 

7. On 24 September 2004, the Secretariat received a response 

from the concerned government Party and began 

considering whether to recommend a factual record. 
CEC Annual Report 2004 21

Submission ID: SEM-04-002 

 (ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION 

 IN HERMOSILLO)

Submitter(s): Academia Sonorense de Derechos Humanos, 

A.C. and Mr. Domingo Gutierrez Mendivil

Party: Mexico

Date received: 14 July 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters assert that Mexico is failing to eff ectively 

enforce various provisions of Mexican environmental law 

regarding the prevention, monitoring, oversight and control of 

air pollution in Hermosillo, Sonora.

2004 Events:

1. On 15 July 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged receipt of a 

submission and began a preliminary analysis of it under the 

guidelines. 

2. On 30 August 2004, the Secretariat notifi ed the Submitters 

that the submission did not meet all of the Article 14(1) 

criteria and the submitter(s) had 30 days to provide the 

Secretariat with a revised submission that conforms with 

Article 14(1). 

3. On 28 September 2004, the Secretariat received a revised 

submission and began to analyze it.

4. On 9 November 2004, the Secretariat notifi ed the 

Submitters that under Article 14(2), the revised submission 

did not merit requesting a response from the concerned 

government Party, and that the Submitters had thirty days 

to fi le new or supplemental information. 

5. On 13 December 2004, the Secretariat received new or 

supplemental information from the Submitters, and began 

to analyze it.

Submission ID: SEM-04-003 

 (GASOLINE SPILL IN TEHUANTEPEC)

Submitter(s): Centro de Derechos Humanos Tepeyac del 

Istmo de Tehuantepec, A.C. et al.

Party: Mexico

Date received: 7 September 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e submission asserts that Mexico is failing to eff ectively 

enforce its environmental laws in relation to a citizen complaint 

fi led with the Offi ce of the Federal Attorney for Environmental 

Protection (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente) 

dealing with the death of fi sh in the Laguna Superior of the Gulf 

of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca, Mexico, due to the alleged spillage of 

gasoline into the lagoon following a tanker truck accident.

2004 Events:

1. On 7 September 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged receipt 

of a submission and began a preliminary analysis of it under 

the guidelines. 

2. On 7 October 2004, the Secretariat notifi ed the Submitters 

that the submission did not meet all of the Article 14(1) 

criteria and that the Submitters had 30 days to provide the 

Secretariat with a revised submission that conforms with 

Article 14(1). 

3. Th e thirty-day term expired without the Secretariat 

receiving a submission that conformed to Article 14(1). 

Under guideline 6.2, the process was therefore terminated 

on 22 November 2004. 
22

Submission ID: SEM-04-004 (OLDMAN RIVER III)

Submitter(s): The Friends of the Oldman River

Party: Canada

Date received: 10 September 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters assert that the Canadian federal government's 

1998 "Decision Framework for the Determination and 

Authorization of Harmful Alteration, Disruption or Destruction 

of Fish Habitat" is not authorized by or compatible with the 

Fisheries Act or the CEAA.

2004 Events:

1. On 16 September 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged 

receipt of a submission and began a preliminary analysis 

of it under the guidelines. 

2. On 14 October 2004, the Secretariat notifi ed the 

Submitters that the submission did not meet all of the 

Article 14(1) criteria and that the Submitters had 30 days 

to provide the Secretariat with a revised submission that 

conforms with Article 14(1). 

3. Th e thirty-day term expired without the Secretariat 

receiving a submission that conformed to Article 

14(1). Under guideline 6.2, the process was therefore 

terminated on 15 November 2004.

Submission ID: SEM-04-005 (COAL-FIRED POWER 

 PLANTS)

Submitter(s): Waterkeeper Alliance et al.

Party: United States

Date received: 20 September 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters assert that the United States is failing to 

eff ectively enforce the federal Clean Water Act against coalfi red power plants for mercury emissions to air and water that 

are allegedly degrading thousands of rivers, lakes and other 

waterbodies across the United States.

2004 Events:

1. On 20 September 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged 

receipt of a submission and began a preliminary analysis 

of it under the guidelines. 

2. On 16 December 2004, the Secretariat notifi ed the 

Submitters that the submission did not meet all of the 

Article 14(1) criteria and that the Submitters had 30 days 

to provide the Secretariat with a revised submission that 

conforms with Article 14(1).

Submission ID: SEM-04-006 (ONTARIO LOGGING II)

Submitter(s): Canadian Nature Federation et al.

Party: Canada

Date received: 12 October 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitters allege that Canada is failing to eff ectively 

enforce Section 6(a) of the Migratory Bird Regulations adopted 

under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, in regard to 

logging in four forest management units in Ontario.

2004 Events:

1. On 14 October 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged receipt 

of a submission and began a preliminary analysis of it under 

the guidelines. 

2. On 14 October 2004, the Secretariat determined that the 

submission met the criteria of Article 14(1) and requested 

a response from the concerned government Party in 

accordance with Article 14(2).

3. On 8 December 2004, the Secretariat received a response 

from the concerned government Party and began 

considering whether to recommend a factual record.

4. On 17 December 2004, the Secretariat informed Council 

that the Secretariat considers that the submission warrants 

development of a factual record, and recommended that 

the submission be combined with submission SEM-02-

001 (Ontario Logging) for the purpose of developing one 

consolidated factual record for both submissions. 

Submission ID: SEM-04-007 (QUEBEC AUTOMOBILES)

Submitter(s): Quebec Association Against Air Pollution 

(Association québécoise de lutte contre la 

pollution atmosphérique)

Party: Canada

Date received: 3 November 2004

Summary of the matter addressed in the submission:

Th e Submitter asserts that Canada, and more specifi cally 

the province of Quebec, is failing to eff ectively enforce its 

environmental regulations in connection with emissions of 

hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides from 

post-1985 light vehicle models.

2004 Events:

1. On 3 November 2004, the Secretariat acknowledged receipt 

of a submission and began a preliminary analysis of it under 

the guidelines. 

2. On 3 December 2004, the Secretariat determined that the 

submission met the criteria of Article 14(1) and requested 

a response from the concerned government Party in 

accordance with Article 14(2).
COUNTRY REPORTS
24

CANADA PROGRESS REPORT, 2004

Part I: Government of Canada

Note: In the interest of submitting a concise report, web-links 

have been provided to direct the reader to additional, more 

detailed information.

Federal Government

Article 2(1)(a)

The State of the Environment Infobase

The State of the Environment Infobase web site <http://www.ec.gc.

ca/soer-ree/English/default.cfm> has been operational on Environment Canada’s Green Lane for the past eight years. It continues 

to evolve and provides access to an increasingly broad range of 

environmental reporting information including the Environmental signals reports, the National Ecological Spatial Framework (ecozones and ecoregions) and links to provincial, territorial, and some international SOE reports.

National Environmental Indicators and State of the Environment Reporting Strategy and Background Reports

In response to the challenge of managing and sharing knowledge 

creatively to better serve Canadians, Environment Canada has 

prepared a draft report entitled Environmental indicators and 

state of the environment reporting strategy, 2004–2009: Environment Canada. The current draft of the Strategy outlines four goals 

for making Environment Canada’s environmental reporting more 

effective. 

 Development of the Strategy benefited from a broad consultation within Environment Canada and with indicator practitioners 

across Canada.

 Two accompanying background reports were finalized, and 

will be published in 2004:

■ Background Paper No. 1, Current status, trends, and 

perceptions regarding environmental indicators and state 

of the environment reporting in Canada, provides analysis 

of the major forces shaping the development and use of 

environmental indicators and SOE reporting in Canada.

■ Background Paper No. 2, Environmental indicators and 

state of the environment reporting: an overview for Canada, provides background information on indicators 

and reporting initiatives of Environment Canada and 

its partners, other Government of Canada agencies, the 

provinces and territories, interdepartmental and intergovernmental programs, and international initiatives. It 

also presents the results of a survey of indicators practitioners and senior decision-makers in Canada to obtain 

an understanding of views about the current approaches 

and future directions for environmental indicators and 

reporting initiatives 

in Canada.

Article 2(1)(b) 

Management of emergencies in areas where there are sensitive 

environmental resources is a critical element of Environment 

Canada’s Environmental Emergencies Program. The availability of new computer based programs and Canadian Geospatial 

Data Infrastructure is enabling the development of a system, 

the National Environmental Management System (E2MS), to 

support more effective responses to environmental emergencies in Canada. 

 The national system, currently in a prototype stage, will enable 

the collection and provision of current detailed information, 

knowledge and expertise regarding environmental resources, 

environmental emergencies and decision-making throughout 

all regions of Canada. 

 The aim of E2MS is to seamlessly integrate, and make 

accessible, topographic and thematic data from a diverse group 

of mapping applications, meet recognized national and international standards and specifications for data sharing, and 

provide both web based and stand alone versions, thereby 

establishing a unified platform for environmental emergency 

management decision making and coordination across all 

stakeholder agencies.
CEC Annual Report 2004 25

Environmental Emergency Plans for Industrial Facilities:

The 2003 CEC Annual Report indicated that Environment 

Canada had published regulations under s.200 of CEPA 1999 

requiring the development and implementation of Environmental Emergency (E2) Plans for 174 substances that, if 

released to the environment as a result of an environmental 

emergency, may harm human health or environmental quality. Environmental Emergency Plans must address prevention, 

preparedness, response and recovery. These Regulations came 

into force on 18 November 2003. 

 The Regulations apply to anyone storing or using a listed substance above the specified threshold, or who has a container with 

a capacity for that substance in excess of the specified quantity. 

They are then required to notify Environment Canada of the 

place where the substance is held, along with the maximum 

expected quantity and the size of the largest container for that 

substance. If both the maximum expected quantity and the capacity of the largest container exceed the threshold, an environmental emergency plan is required and Environment Canada 

must be notified accordingly.

 Any operator captured by the Environmental Emergency 

Regulations had to submit up to three notices by the deadlines 

indicated (16 February, 18 May and 18 November 2004, respectively). The first notice (Identification of Substance and Place) 

applied to any facility that exceeded either the quantity or container capacity threshold for a particular listed substance. For 

those facilities that met both criteria, notices of plan preparation and implementation also had to be submitted. By the end 

of 2004, more than 3100 facilities had been registered under the 

program for various substances. Of these, 2100 were required to 

prepare and implement E2 plans. 

 Additional information may be obtained at <http://www.ec.gc.

ca/ee-ue/defaultasp?lang=En&n=E3A506F8-1>.

National Emergency Response System (NERS)

The Government of Canada is designing and implementing an all 

hazards emergency response framework, called the National Emergency Response System (NERS). The system is being developed to 

ensure that Canada is prepared and able to respond to all emerging, 

imminent or occurring national emergencies and threats to ensure 

the protection and safety of Canadians. NERS will provide effective 

coordination of the large number of national players who must act 

in the event of national emergencies.

 Through the development and implementation of the NERS, 

the Government of Canada is continuously increasing its ability 

to ensure the safety and security of Canada and its citizens. As 

different threats and emergencies arise, whether they are natural 

or deliberately caused events or disasters, NERS is designed to 

coordinate federal actions and provide an integrated and complementary national response. 

Article 2(1)(c) 

As part of Canada’s Project Green and in pursuit of a cleaner 

environment to support a healthier population and build a 

stronger economy, emphasis is being placed on the education 

and engagement of Canadians. Environment Canada recognizes 

that an educated and informed public can not only make better-informed decisions, but also can more effectively participate 

in decision-making processes and influence others, while appreciating the possible need for regulatory action on the part of 

governments. Environment Canada has initiated development 

of an education and engagement strategy that will focus in particular on partnerships with provincial/territorial governments 

and NGOs, and that will have, as key targets, consumers, small 

and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), youth and educators, both 

in the formal education system and in the area of non-formal/

informal education.

Article 2(1)(d) 

In 2004, Environment Canada, through the Electricity and 

Industrial Combustion Branch, provided funding to the following research projects to further scientific research and technology development in respect of environmental matters.

Clean and Efficient Combustion Technologies for Large Utility Electricity Generation

This work comprises several areas of study carried out with federal, provincial and academic research institutions. It involves 

laboratory and field investigations. Specifically, the studies have 

examined:

■ sorbents for mercury capture from power plant stack gases;

■ coal gasifi cation technology and its implications/impacts 

for the Canadian electricity industry and indigenous coal 

reserves;

■ methodology for measurement of the condensable fraction 

of fi ne particulate matter; and

■ advanced technique for the real-time sampling, measurement and monitoring of ambient aerosol particulate 

matter.

Environmental Contaminants in Coal and Coal Byproducts

This work comprises laboratory and field investigations into 

the analyses of coal feed stocks, the ash by-product and the 

emissions to atmosphere from coal-fired boilers. The goal 

is to determine the quantification of the contaminants (e.g., 

heavy metals), the factors that affect the transformation and 

speciation of these contaminants, and to identify strategies for 

preventing or minimizing the release of these contaminants. 

The purpose of this project is to try to determine what char-
26

acteristics of coals and their constituents affect the ability for 

mercury in the coal to be captured in the fly ash as opposed to 

being emitted to atmosphere. 

 Canada, through the Environmental Technology Centre and 

Waste Water Technology Centre continues to deliver on various 

initiatives in support of a cleaner environment. The majority of 

the work involves development or application of tools to measure the ambient environment, mobile and stationary emissions 

and effluents, and oil spills. It also includes development of new 

technologies to measure emissions, reduce the effects of effluents or to conserve energy and reduce GHG emissions. It also 

includes new chemical and biological test methods for regulations. A summary of work accomplished in 2004/2005 can be 

found at <http://www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/publications_e.html>.

For specifi c area such as the National Air Pollution Surveillance 

network, please see <http://www.etc-cte.ec.gc.caNAPS/index_e.html>.

For oils spill response, remote sensing and contaminated sites 

remediation, see <http://www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/home/water_e.html>.

For a biological methods activities and publications, see <http://

www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/organization/spd_e.html>.

For work on emissions measurements, see <http://www.etc-cte.

ec.gc.ca/organization/spd_e.html>.

For information on the work on wastewater technologies see 

<http://www.ec.gc.ca/etad/default.asp?lang=En&n=6BBA5D53-1>.

For work on green technologies (microwave processes) see 

<http://www.etc-cte.ec.gc.ca/organization/mapd_e.html>.

Article 2(1)(f) 

With respect to promoting the use of economic instruments for 

the efficient achievement of environmental goals:

■ In 2004, Environment Canada developed the Competitiveness and Environmental Sustainability Framework (CESF) 

to attain the highest level of environmental quality as a 

means to enhance the health and well-being of Canadians, 

preserve Canada’s natural environment, and advance its 

long-term competitiveness. Th is framework is supported 

by fi ve pillars, one of which is performance promotion and 

enforcement. Th e overarching objective of this pillar is to 

attain CESF objectives in the most effi cient and eff ective 

manner by infl uencing behaviour using a broad range of 

mutually reinforcing instruments, including market-based 

instruments, and ensuring results are achieved. 

■ Environment Canada hosted a small international workshop for federal and provincial government offi cials with 

the dual objectives of educating and promoting the use 

of market-based instruments. Th e workshop centred on 

several presentations by specialists in other countries, 

including the UK, Sweden, and Denmark, which provided 

an opportunity to learn about the successes and challenges of their experience with instrument implementation. 

Article 2.3 

During 2004, Environment Canada prohibited the use of the following three substances:

■ 2-Propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, hexadecyl ester, polymers 

with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, .gamma-omega-perfl uoro-C10-16-alkyl acrylate and stearyl methacrylate;

■ Hexane, 1,6-diisocyanato-, homopolymer, reaction products with alpha-fl uoro-omega-2-hydroxyethylpoly(difl uor

omethylene), alkylbranched alcohols and 1-alkanol; and

■ 2-Propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-methylpropyl ester, 

polymer with butyl 2-propenoate and unsaturated anhydride, perfl uoroalkyl esters, tert-Bu 

benzenecarboperoxoate-initiated.

Article 3 

Additions to the List of Toxic Substances

Ozone-depleting Substances Regulations, 2004

The regulations include a system of consumption allowances 

for hydrochlorofluorocarbons. The amendments will help 

stakeholders to adapt to the 35% reduction in hydrochlorofluorocarbon consumption without compromising Canada’s 

international commitments under the Montreal Protocol. Other 

changes are of an administrative nature.

Article 4 

The following notices were published in Canada Gazette, Part I 

during 2004:

Canada 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 27

Article 5

Enforcement information, reports and statistics can be found 

on EC’s web site at: <http://www.ec.gc.ca/ele-ale/>. This site also 

includes historical court decisions on guilty parties and press 

releases and media advisories.

Article 6 

Persons with a recognized legal interest have access to remedies before administrative tribunals and the courts. Interested persons, in addition to being able to institute private 

prosecutions, may also put forth to a competent authority, 

a request to investigate alleged violations of environmental 

laws and regulations. 

 For example, CEPA 1999 provides statutory authority for 

a person to apply to the Minister of the Environment for an 

investigation concerning any alleged offense under that Act. 

As well, persons with a recognized legal interest in a particular 

matter have access to administrative, quasi-judicial and judicial 

proceedings for the enforcement of Canada’s environmental 

laws and regulations. In this regard, CEPA 1999 has introduced 

the concept of “environmental protection actions” that allows 

any person to seek a court order prohibiting a continued violation of the statute and/or to mitigate harm caused by a violation of the statute. As well, CEPA 1999 provides the statutory 

authority to request the review of administrative decisions or 

proposed regulations. 

Article 7 

Canada has administrative, quasi-judicial and judicial proceedings available for the enforcement of environmental laws 

and regulations. Both the Canadian Charter of Rights and 

Freedoms and the courts have ensured that persons are given 

an opportunity, consistent with the rules of procedural fairness and natural justice, to make representations to support 

or defend their respective positions and to present information or evidence. Decisions are provided in writing, are made 

available without undue delay, and are based on information or 

evidence on which the parties were offered the opportunity to 

be heard. In accordance with its laws, Canada provides parties 

to such proceedings, as appropriate, the right to seek review 

and where warranted, correction of final decisions by impartial and independent tribunals. An example of fair, open and 

equitable proceedings at the administrative level is the Board 

of Review process available under CEPA 1999.

Regulation Date

Proposed Total, Partial or Conditional Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations

Ozone-depleting Substances Regulations, 2004

April 2004

December 2004

Pollution Prevention Plan Date

Proposed Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect 

of Specified Toxic Substances Released From Base Metals Smelters and Refineries and Zinc Plants 

25 Sept 2004

Final Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect 

of Ammonia dissolved in water, Inorganic Chloramines and Chlorinated Wastewater Effluent

4 Dec 2004

Final Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect of 

Textile Mills Effluents and Nonylphenol and its Ethoxylates

4 Dec 2004

Final Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect 

of Nonylphenol and its Ethoxylates in Products

4 Dec 2004

Codes of Practice Date

Code of Practice for Road Salts April 2004
28

Part II: Provincial Governments

Note: The following presents information submitted by the 

provinces that are signatory to the Canadian Intergovernmental 

Agreement on the North American Agreement for Environmental Cooperation.

Alberta

Article 2(1)(a) 

To provide the public with timely information on the quality and 

condition of the environment, Alberta Environment developed 

a State of the Environment (SoE) web site at <www.gov.ab.ca/env/

soe>, tracking 44 environmental indicators of air quality, climate 

change, water quality and use, land quality and use, biodiversity 

and waste management.

Article 2(1)(c) 

In 2004–2005, Alberta Environment continued to promote 

the principle of shared responsibility for the environment by 

engaging Albertans on several environmental initiatives. Implementation of Alberta’s Water for Life: Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability involved stakeholders from many sectors. A review 

of water use for oilfield injection was led by a multi-stakeholder 

advisory committee. Agreements with watershed councils in the 

Bow River Basin, Oldman Basin and North Saskatchewan Basin 

were established so that these councils can take a leadership role 

in developing watershed management plans. A waste management stakeholder group was actively engaged in making recommendations for improving waste management in the province. 

During the year, the department also worked with stakeholders 

on climate change issues, including:

■ Industry (e.g., Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, electricity producers) and the federal government on 

systems to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, 

■ Municipalities and the transportation sector on greenhouse gas reduction agreements, 

■ Climate Change Central, Municipal Aff airs, municipalities and Alberta Infrastructure and transportation on 

energy conservation, and 

■ Clean Air Strategic Alliance on developing and applying a 

comprehensive air quality management system.

Alberta Environment organized a Lake Wabamun scientific 

review panel chaired by Dr. David Schindler, and consisting of 

university scientists from across Canada. The panel’s recommendations were presented to the public in January 2005. The 

outcome contributed to our ongoing efforts to make appropriate management decisions for the lake and its watershed. The 

department also coordinated government participation in public 

consultations by the International Joint Commission to review a 

1921 Order on the apportionment of water from the St. Mary 

and Milk Rivers between the United States and Canada.

Article 2(1)(d) 

During this past year, Alberta Environment developed a Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Strategy. The strategy will 

support outcomes-based management and assure that Alberta’s 

environment is safe, clean and sustained for future generations.

Elements of the strategy included:

■ Development of a State of the Environment (SoE) web 

site in collaboration with other departments. Forty-four 

environmental indicators regarding air quality, climate 

change, water quality and use, land quality and use, biodiversity and waste management were developed for the 

SoE web site.

■ Consultations across the environmental community on 

hydrometric, meteorological and groundwater monitoring networks.

■ Continued upgrading of Alberta Environment’s infrastructure to ensure the uninterrupted reporting and monitoring of water and air quality and quantity.

■ Establishment of a cross-government workgroup to improve 

collaboration on environmental monitoring and reporting. 

■ Continued increase in the use of Internet-based technologies, such as surveying and conferencing tools, to help 

expand the reach of programs, promote effi ciencies and 

enhance evaluation eff orts.

The department also promoted and improved engagement of 

Albertans through the following programs and initiatives:

■ Alberta Environment identifi ed, through a stakeholder 

workshop, priority substances for ambient air quality 

objective setting over the next three years.

■ In addition, Alberta Environment, together with industry 

partners, implemented Switch Out Alberta, a program to 

recycle the mercury from end-of-life vehicles. Th e program is the most successful of three provincial programs 

in Canada.

■ To promote and improve engagement of Aboriginal communities in shared stewardship, Alberta Environment 

designed and implemented a Cross-Ministry Information 

Portal for Aboriginal consultation. 

■ Finalization of Public Participation Principles to support more eff ective departmental public consultation and 

stakeholder engagement.

Canada 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 29

Article 2(1)(f)

In 2004–2005, Alberta Environment continued to develop 

and implement a comprehensive, flexible set of environmental 

tools and incentives to encourage, support and reward effective environmental management practices. Key initiatives for the 

application of new tools include:

■ Environmental handling fees applied as an economic 

instrument in the recently launched electronics waste 

recycling program.

■ Continued promotion and enhancement of voluntary, 

performance-based stewardship programs for environmental leaders in industry. 

■ Th e Approval Review Project, which created six codes of 

practice for municipal drinking water, wastewater, water outfall structure, and sand and gravel pits. Th e Code of Practice 

for sand and gravel operations streamlined the regulatory 

process for approximately 550 pits across Alberta.

Article 5

The Ministry of Environment amended regulations to address 

priority issues, including the following:

■ Adoption of a code of practice for sand and gravel pits 

as part of its ongoing eff orts to streamline regulatory 

processes, 

■ New reporting requirements on greenhouse gas emissions 

by large fi nal emitters,

■ Harmonization of Alberta’s regulations for ozone-depleting substances for consistency with the National Action 

Plan and,

■ Broadening information available to the public without 

the need for a formal request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP).

The Ministry of Environment also amended regulations to 

address administrative issues.

 The renewal period for certificates of qualification for facility operators was extended from two to three years to support 

changes to the Water and Wastewater Operators Program. These 

changes were designed to assure Albertans of safe water supplies. 

The Ministry also introduced a new Act into the Legislature to 

make treated water available to communities in the County of 

Stettler. A regulatory amendment under the Environmental 

Protection and Enhancement Act allows for sharing of scientific 

and technical reports and studies related to environmental site 

assessments with the general public and interested organizations. The amendment also opens the door to the development 

of a variety of internet-based tools, such as an Environmental 

Site Assessment Registry (ESAR).

Waste Management and Recycling

During 2004–2005, Alberta Environment released Alberta’s 

Municipal Waste Action Plan for reducing municipal solid waste 

going to landfills and completed new standards for landfills. 

Operation Clean Farm, a three-year project to collect obsolete 

pesticides was also completed in 2004–2005. The project was a 

successful partnership involving government and industry. Over 

75,000 kilograms of potentially harmful, obsolete pesticides were 

collected for treatment at the Swan Hills Treatment Centre.

 In 2004–2005, Alberta Environment developed and implemented the first electronics recycling program in Canada and 

delegated the responsibility to deliver the program to the Alberta 

Recycling Management Authority (ARMA). Since the program’s 

inception, more than 100 collection sites and electronic roundups have been established throughout the province to collect old 

televisions, computers, and related electronics.

Health Sustainability Initiative

Alberta Environment recognizes the contribution of environmental factors to the health and wellness of Albertans. In 

2004–2005, Alberta Environment participated in the planning, 

development and coordination of cross-department policies 

and actions affecting the success of this initiative. Highlights 

include:

■ Co-chairing the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Committee 

on Health and Environment.

■ Assisting in the development and implementation of the 

2004 West Nile Virus Response Plan.

■ Inspecting drinking water facilities—100 per cent of surface 

water facilities, 50 per cent of groundwater facilities.

Aboriginal Policy Initiative

In 2004–2005, Alberta Environment undertook activities to promote the goals and objectives of this initiative. Some highlights 

of collaboration between the department and Aboriginal stakeholders include:

■ Development, with other departments, of a Government of Alberta Aboriginal Consultation Policy to ensure 

appropriate and eff ective consultation with Aboriginal 

communities in the department’s regulatory processes.

■ Development, with other departments, of a Cross-department Aboriginal Economic Development Strategy.

■ Implementation of a training program for staff on First 

Nations history, culture and legal issues.

■ Design and implementation of a Cross-Ministry Information Portal for Aboriginal consultation co-ordination.

■ Commitment of a staff member to a one and a half year 

secondment with the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Fort 

McMurray to assist the group in addressing their concerns about oil sands development in the area.
30

Manitoba

Article 2(1)(a) 

Manitoba has graduated from producing State of the Environment reports every 2 years to producing a Provincial Sustainability Report that provides important information to 

Manitobans on key sustainability issues and trends. Under 

The Sustainable Development Act proclaimed in 1998, the 

Manitoba government must prepare a sustainability report 

based on a chosen set of indicators by July 2005. A draft set 

of sustainability indicators was proposed, and all government departments and working groups have responded with 

issue-based material, data, and feedback for a draft sustainability report through the intergovernmental working group, 

coordinated by Manitoba Conservation. In 2004, a draft of 

the report was completed. 

Water Quality Reporting

The Water Quality Management Section of the department of 

Water Stewardship assists in the protection, maintenance, and 

where necessary, rehabilitation of aquatic ecosystems through 

the application of principles of sustainable development and the 

innovative management of risks by: 

■ Operating an ambient monitoring network on major 

streams, lakes and recreational beaches, assisted by 

volunteers, regional personnel and organizations, such 

as conservation districts.

■ Conducting issue-based, site-specifi c studies, usually by 

intensive short-term sampling, to assess point and nonpoint source impacts from agriculture, mining, forestry, 

municipal discharges, and others.

■ Supporting and participating in scientifi c studies to better understand impacts of human disturbance on aquatic 

ecosystem structure and function.

■ Co-operating with neighbouring jurisdictions to protect 

water quality from upstream developments. 

■ Managing acquisition of ongoing, high-quality laboratory analytical services for the provincial government 

departments. 

■ Managing water quality data in a secure, user-friendly 

system that meets complex, on going needs of the section, 

department, clients and partners.

Air Quality Reporting

To ensure the sustainable use of our air quality resources for the 

benefit of citizens today, while safeguarding these resources for 

future generations, the section:

■ Develops and reviews objectives and guidelines for air 

pollutants of concern,

■ Monitors ambient (outdoor) air quality in urban areas 

and near selected industrial sources to measure adherence to objectives and guidelines,

■ Undertakes special project investigations,

■ Provides scientifi c and technical support to the provincial 

government, other agencies and the public,

■ Prepares reports and evaluates peer reports, and

■ Assists in the review and assessment of developments and 

provides comments for environmental licensing.

Article 2(1)(b) 

The most frequent environmental emergency handled by the Manitoba provincial government is wildfires. Manitoba experienced a 

very slow wildfire season in 2004. A total of 234 fires burned over 

26,000 hectares, well below the 20-year average of 568 fires and 

440,888 hectares burned. The spring began with lower than normal 

fire activity due to higher than normal snowfall conditions and an 

abundance of spring rains. Due to the slow season, Manitoba was 

able to export resources to assist other Canadian fire agencies.

 The Emergency Response Program received over 3,400 calls to 

the Emergency Response 24-hour line. Of these, 599 were handled 

directly by the Conservation department’s Emergency Response 

Team and/or Regional personnel. The remaining calls that were 

received but were not within the Department’s mandate were directed to appropriate outside agencies for action.

Article 2(1)(c) 

Provincial guidelines and educational resources were updated as 

needed. The Support Services Section of Parks Operations and 

Maintenance Division, for example, completed the development 

of a comprehensive Beach Safety Program policy and a program 

manual to guide the activities of contractors. They also implemented a provincial Beach Safety signing strategy and initiated 

work on implementing standardizing buoy lines and worked 

with the Manitoba Coalition for Safer Waters on the updating of 

Manitoba waterfront safety guidelines.

 In addition, Manitoba Parks interpretive staff contacted 

about 90,000 visitors at field programs and in interpretive centres and museums. 18 Green Team members provided assistance at these parks.

 The Forestry Division published two guidebooks on Forest 

Roads and Brush Disposal that are accessible on their web site 

<http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/forestry/forest-practices/practices/fpp-guideline-pdfs.html> and work continued on a new Riparian Management Area guidebook. 

 Manitoba Forestry staff continued to participate in the 

Manitoba Envirothon. Envirothon is an annual Olympic-style 

academic and environmental program for high school students 

Canada 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 31

(Grades 9-12). The students are tested in four discipline areas 

(aquatics, forestry, soils and wildlife) and an annual theme 

(2004: Natural Resource Management in the Urban Environment). The event was held at Brandon and 27 Manitoba school 

teams participated. The winning school represented Manitoba at the International Canon Envirothon in West Virginia, 

USA.

 National Wildlife Week, coordinated with the Canadian 

Wildlife Federation (CWF) was celebrated during 4–10 April 

2004. The theme selected for 2004 was “Give Backyard Birds 

Something to Sing About.” Apart from this event, teacher kits 

were purchased from CWF and were distributed to all elementary schools in Manitoba.

 Project WILD is an environmental education program, sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, emphasizing wildlife and implemented under agreements with each province’s 

wildlife agency. Project WILD activities were developed for use 

in the Grade Four science curriculum. Teachers are required 

to attend an in-service training workshop, usually conducted 

jointly by a wildlife specialist and a trained workshop facilitator. 

Last year, three Project WILD workshops were delivered.

Article 2(1)(d) 

Scientific Research and Technology Development

Research and development continued in the various divisions in 

Manitoba Conservation. Significant amongst these are:

■ Forest stratifi cation for Forest Management Units (FMU) 

11 and 12 was completed and 85% of FMU 11 was photo 

interpreted. FMU 10 was mapped for land cover change 

using satellite imagery and 25% the existing forest cover 

maps were updated.

■ As part of the National Forestry Inventory Program, 

29 long-term ecosystem monitoring plots were randomly established across Manitoba’s eco-zones to 

measure provincial, national, and international reporting requirements related to forest growth, 

sustainability, and climate change.

■ Following a successful upgrade to version 4 of Biotics 

in 2003–2004 within the Wildlife division, the focus in 

2004–2005 was to improve the quality of information 

in the database and meet new data standards that have 

been implemented by NatureServe in conjunction with 

the upgraded software. Adoption and implementation 

of these standards allows Manitoba to contribute to 

seamless data sets across provincial and state boundaries 

for species at risk—a key contribution to the Accord 

for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada—among 

other uses. 

Article 2(1)(e) 

In 2004–2005, 53 Environment Act proposals or pre-clearances 

were reviewed, 46.5% less than in 2003–2004. They included 

highway upgrades, mine closure plans, wastewater-treatment 

facilities, crop protection warehouses, bulk fertilizer facilities, 

utility corridors, and town water supplies. Three draft licences 

concerning irrigation projects and water pollution controls 

were reviewed, as were the annual operating plans for Louisiana 

Pacific Canada, Tolko Manitoba, Tembec/Pine Falls Paper, and 

Mountain Quota Holders Association.

Article 2(1)(f) 

Manitoba manages funding programs that support innovative 

solutions to environmental issues. Overall administrative support is provided to the Sustainable Development Innovations 

Fund (SDIF) and three targeted allocations include the SDIF 

Open Category, the Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention 

(WRAPP) Fund and the Environmental Youth Corps (EYC). 

The Fund supports innovative projects, activities, research 

and developments that further the sustainability of Manitoba’s 

environment, economy, human health and social well-being, and 

support sustainable economic growth. The Fund encourages the 

creation of partnerships towards improving sustainability.

The SDIF expended $2.9 million within the various category 

allocations:

■ Environmental Youth Corps (EYC)

■ Manitoba Climate Change Action Fund (MCCAF)

■ Manitoba Forestry Association Woodlot Program

■ Orphan Mine Site Rehabilitation Program

■ Orphan Mine Site Assessment Program

■ Waste Reduction and Pollution Prevention (WRAPP) Fund

■ Zebra Mussel Program

Article 3 

Manitoba Conservation has administrative responsibility for 

27 statutes and 91 regulations. In addition, officers have inspection and enforcement responsibilities under The Non-Smokers 

Health Protection Act, 10 regulations under The Public Health 

Act and a number of City of Winnipeg health bylaws.

The following legislative and regulatory activity within Manitoba Conservation’s administrative mandate occurred during 

the reporting period:

■ Th e Porcupine Provincial Forest Activities Management 

Regulation was registered on 18 May 2004, creating a pro-
32

tected area within the Porcupine Provincial Forest. In this 

protected area logging, mining, petroleum, natural gas and 

hydroelectric power developments and any other activities 

with a signifi cant adverse eff ect on habitat are prohibited.

■ Twenty-four amending regulations were registered during 

the reporting period, amending eighteen existing regulations including:

■ an amendment to the Provincial Snowmobile Trail 

Regulation under Th e Crown Lands Act;

■ an amendment to the Storage and Handling of 

Petroleum Products and Allied Products Regulation

under Th e Dangerous Goods Handling and 

Transportation Act;

■ two amendments to the Ecological Reserves Designation 

Regulation under Th e Ecological Reserves Act;

■ an amendment to the Designation of Provincial Forests

under Th e Forest Act;

■ an amendment to the Designation of Provincial Forests 

Regulation under Th e Forest Act;

■ an amendment to each of the Chief Place of Residence 

Levy Regulation, the Park Activities Regulation and the 

Park Fees Regulation, four amendments to the Park 

Reserves Designation Regulation and three amendments 

to the Provincial Parks Designation Regulation under 

Th e Provincial Parks Act;

■ an amendment to each of the General Hunting 

Regulation, the Hunting Guides Regulation, the Hunting 

Seasons and Bag Limits Regulation, the Trapping Areas 

and Zones Regulation, the Trapping of Wild Animals 

Regulation, the Vehicle Use in Hunting Regulation, the 

Wildlife Fees and Royalties Regulation and the Wildlife 

Permit Exemption Regulation under Th e Wildlife Act;

■ Bill 22, Th e Water Protection Act, was introduced 

into the house for second reading. Th is Bill refl ects the 

priority legislative amendments recommended in Th e 

Manitoba Water Strategy; and

■ Th e Manitoba Floodway Authority Act was 

proclaimed in November 2004. Th is legislation 

establishes a separate, independent and accountable 

authority to complete the expansion of the Red River 

Floodway on behalf of Manitoba residents. Th e Red 

River Floodway Authority would own the fl oodway’s 

physical assets and be responsible for its expansion and 

maintenance. Th e authority to operate the Red River 

Floodway remains with Manitoba Water Stewardship.

■ Manitoba continued to challenge North Dakota’s 

Devils Lake water diversion project.

Article 5

The following is a synopsis of Manitoba’s enforcement activities.

Article 5(1)(a) 

Recruitment and training:

■ Twenty-four new Park Patrol Offi cers were recruited from 

across Canada and were certifi ed to Department standards over eight days in hospitality, tactical communications, defensive tactics, fi rearms, and legislation before 

being hired and assigned to various parks for 17 weeks of 

employment.

■ Four new seasonal Assistant Resource Offi cers received 

basic training in Tactical Shotgun, Baton Deployment, 

and Offi cer Safety.

■ A new initiative was implemented to provide federally mandated Marine Emergency Duties certifi cation 

to employees required to use boats on the job. Seventyfi ve offi cers were trained. Other courses delivered to 

select Natural Resource Offi cers were Glock Instructor/

Armorer re-certifi cation and Defensive Tactics Instructor 

re-certifi cation.

■ Overall, 480 casual hire Emergency Fire Fighters were 

trained and/or recertifi ed in various communities across 

the region. All department initial attack staff completed 

their national CIFFC (Canadian Interagency Forest Fire 

Centre) certifi cation. In 2004, thirteen individuals were 

sent on an exchange to British Columbia to assist in fi re 

fi ghting eff orts.

Canada 2004 Report

Acts Prosecutions Warnings

Total 

Offences

Crown Lands

Forest

Fisheries (Canada)

Fisheries (Manitoba)

Highway Traffic

Liquor Control

Migratory Birds

Off Road Vehicle

Provincial Parks

Wildfires

Wildlife

Water Rights

33

11

435

225

35

244

9

21

1,219

16

287

0

32

15

161

182

27

21

8

10

222

16

66

2

62

26

596

407

62

265

17

31

1,441

32

353

2

Total 2,537 764 3,301
CEC Annual Report 2004 33

Quebec

Article 2(1)(a) 

In 2004–2005, Quebec published 40 new documents on the state 

of the environment on the Internet site of the Québec Department of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks 

(ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des 

Parcs du Québec—MDDEP) <http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca>, 31 of 

which dealt with water quality and nine with air quality <http://

www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/ministere/rapports_annuels/rapport_2004-

2005.pdf>. The MDDEP also published documents presenting 

the latest information on five priority drainage basins, an overall look at water quality in Québec’s rivers, and a summary of 

the state of the St. Lawrence River. The Québec air quality index 

and the program Info-Smog (summer and winter) are also made 

available on the MDDEP Internet site.

Article 2(1)(b) 

The MDDEP operates an emergency response system (UrgenceEnvironnement) throughout its territory, with regional departments ensuring continuous supervision of the territories they 

cover. The Emergency Coordination Bureau (Bureau de coordination des urgences—BCU) supports regional action teams and 

oversees the operation of the emergency call center, which 

takes calls regarding emergencies around the clock. UrgenceEnvironnement personnel undergo continuous training (e.g., 

updating and courses on the MDDEP emergency plan, hydrocarbon spills, spills of hazardous materials, and the nuclear 

emergency plan). The MDDEP participated in several exercises 

carried out by its partners (e.g., “Border Safe” of the Sûreté du 

Québec, which simulated a terrorist event on the border with 

Vermont; Prevention 2004 of the Canadian Coast Guard, simulating a maritime spill in the Montérégie region; and DÉRAD of 

Hydro-Québec, simulating an accident at the Gentilly-2 nuclear 

reactor). In terms of planning, the MDDEP focused on the elimination of large numbers of carcasses and animal by-products 

and on maritime spills.

Article 2(1)(c) 

On its Internet site, the MDDEP published the adventures of 

Rafale (a series of environmental features for children 10 to 14 

years old), two new brochures on pesticides, and a document on 

the toxicity of pesticides used for lawn care and ornamental plants. 

Th e Internet column Jardiner... tout naturellement was updated. 

Th e MDDEP awarded grants totalling $1.5 million to 17 social 

economy businesses to support waste management activities, 

and, as part of its Politique de soutien à l’action communautaire 

autonome, it provided aid totaling $2.8 million to over 60 nonprofi t organizations to continue annual activities and undertake 

concrete projects.

The MDDEP held a training session for government managers 

involved in implementing integrated watershed-based water 

management, and for regional managers it held an initiation and 

refresher workshop for new watershed management tools. In 

collaboration with RÉSEAU environnement, the MDDEP held 

the fourth annual Forum on Integrated Watershed-based Water 

Management (management methods, recent experiences and 

stakeholder capacity building).The MDDEP held about 50 training sessions on Québec’s riverbank, coastline and floodplain 

protection policy (Politique de protection des rives, du littoral 

et des plaines inondables) (session trainers, city inspectors and 

wildlife protection agents) and 20 training and information sessions on drinking water and wastewater (themed workshop for 

regional departments; conferences on the Regulation respecting 

the quality of drinking water (Règlement sur la qualité de l’eau 

potable—RQEP); blue-green algae, cyanotoxins and endocrine 

disrupters in drinking water; disinfection by-products and the 

RQEP; pharmaceutical products; operator competeny; amendments to Q-2, r.8; and municipal officer training and technical 

guide). Along with Emploi Québec, the MDDEP set up a training program to allow drinking water treatment plant operators 

to comply with competency requirements under the RQEP. An 

information sheet on the watertight system was produced.

 RECYC-QUÉBEC: The program VERRR 2008 funded 42 

projects ($270,000) dealing with information, awareness and 

education in reduction, reuse and recycling and recovery of 

waste. In partnership with Boissons gazeuses environnement

(BGE), the program to collect consigned containers involved 

146 high schools. In partnership with BGE and the Consortium 

Écho-logique, collection and awareness activities were held during 30 public events (reaching over 8 million people and collecting 108,000 kg of recyclables). Partner of the Brundtland 

Green School movement (funding of $100,000, 860 primary and 

secondary schools, colleges and several daycare centres) and 

funding of organizations working to develop environmental 

values in schools (Réseau québécois des écoles micro-entreprises 

environnementales, Réseau québécois des Centres de formation 

en entreprise et récupération and ENvironnement JEUnesse). 

Main sponsor of the Réseau des Ressourceries du Québec (4th 

edition of Québec garbage reduction week). Participation in the 

production of the TÉLÉ-QUÉBEC series Les artisans du rebut 

global. Publication of a kit (Des Idées dans l’Air) to raise awareness among young people of the issues of climate change and of 

the behaviours that contribute to worsening the phenomenon, of 

the electronic newsletter RECYC-INFO, of three directories on 

the RECYC-QUÉBEC website (manufacturers of environmental 
34

equipment, products with recycled content made in Québec, 

and collectors, recyclers and recoverers), and of two information 

tools aimed at helping cities and furnishing information directly 

to Québec citizens (@bc du recyclage à domicile and Guide de 

recyclage in partnership with the Yellow Pages Group). Rendezvous 2004, in partnership with RÉSEAU environnement (waste 

management, partnerships and responsibilities).

 The Department of Natural Resources and Wildlife (ministère 

des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune—MRNF) produced an 

educational product for teachers and students of secondary cycle 

I entitled Le Parc faunique, which raises awareness of the situation of threatened species in Québec.

Article 2(1)(d) 

The MDDEP distributed $750,000 to finalize 14 technological 

research and development projects. The MDDEP contributed 

$600,000 to fund 33 projects dealing with awareness, environmental studies, reclamation and ecosystem restoration for the 

St. Lawrence River (Community Interactions, managed jointly 

with Environment Canada). The MDDEP, via its Programme de 

soutien en milieu agricole, funded 10 agroecology research projets 

($175,000) and three water monitoring projects in farming areas 

($43,000). the MDDEP recognized nine new technology projects 

for drinking water production and wastewater treatment and 

is overseeing a study to test solutions for treating and disposing 

domestic wastewater effluents in areas with low soil permeability.

 In the area of climate change, the Québec government has 

pursued multiple initiatives to reduce and avoid GHG emissions 

in its economy (e.g., renewing funding for the next five years for 

the Ouranos Consortium on regional climate modeling, and 

granting tax credits for ethanol production and the use of biodiesel). 

 RECYC-QUÉBEC: Launch of working committees on recycling; compostable waste, textile and clothing waste, vehicles 

(halocarbon, end-of-life and body maintenance committees) and 

single-use beer and soft drink containers; support for regional 

county municipalities in developing waste management plans 

and consulting services for management plan development directors; administration of the Programme gouvernemental d’aide 

financière à l’élaboration des plans de gestion des matières résiduelles ($1.9 million in 2004–2005); active participation in the 

asphalt shingle working committee set up by 3RMCDQ; creation 

of a committee on carpets to support the efforts of providers who 

offer their clients return and recovery services for obsolete items. 

In collaboration with the Comité sectoriel de main-d’œuvre en 

environnement and the Québec Department of Education, Leisure 

and Sport (ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport du Québec) RECYC-QUÉBEC carried out a study of changes in employment and training in the waste management sector.

Article 2(1)(e) 

Quebec applied its environmental assessment procedure to 

projects targeted under the Regulation respecting environmental impact assessment and review. From 1 April 2004 to 31 

March 2005, 98 projects were subject to one step or another of 

the environmental impact assessment and review procedure in 

force for southern Quebec (24 projects were granted authorization and 29 new projects registered for the process). Th e projects 

currently being processed break down as follows: 55 land-based 

projects (roads, gas pipelines, sanitary landfi ll sites, wind farms, 

etc.), 33 water-based projects (hydroelectric plants, methane 

tanker terminal, dredging, fi lling), and 10 industrial projects 

(e.g., co-generation plant, nuclear power plant). Twenty-eight 

projects were assessed under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (21 new fi les, along with 15 decisions rendered, 

including mining projects, maritime infrastructure projects, 

wastewater and solid waste management projects, and a ballistic 

testing project). 

 Canada and Québec signed an Agreement on Environmental 

Assessment Collaboration, under which the governments, when 

possible, will coordinate their respective environmental assessment processes.

Article 2(1)(f) 

Under the provisions of the Taxation Act, the MDDEP issued 

five visas for donations of land or easements with ecological 

value totaling over 290 hectares of private land.

 In March 2004, Québec adopted the Regulation respecting 

the recovery and reclamation of used oils, oil or fluid containers and used filters, based on the principle of extended producer 

responsibility and under which industry is to apply the principle 

of cost internalization. The Regulation respecting compensation 

for municipal services provided to recover and reclaim residual 

materials will provide financial support for municipalities to 

meet their waste management responsibilities.

 In 2004, Québec continued to levy charges based on emission 

amounts of various contaminants, as defined in regulations, 

from industrial establishments holding a depollution attestation 

(equivalent to a renewable environmental operations permit). 

All establishments in the pulp and paper sector (62 facilities) 

were subject to this levy.

 Between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2005, 28 projects were 

registered in Quebec’s urban contaminated sites rehabilitation 

program, Revi-Sols. This program aims to encourage the re-use 

of contaminated sites and to revitalize the urban fabric. These 

projects will lead to approximately $10.2 million in restoration 

work (with grants of about $6.0 million), and about $295 million 

in real-estate investment. 

Canada 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 35

 RECYC-QUÉBEC continued to operate funding programs in 

the glass sector, in collaboration with the Société des alcools du 

Québec.

Article 3 

An important step in the achievement of sustainable development was taken with the launch, on 25 November 2004, of the 

Québec Sustainable Development Plan, supported by a draft 

bill on sustainable development. Founded on a new vision 

of development, the draft bill aims to create a framework of 

accountability for all departments and public administration 

agencies. The bill provides for the government’s adoption of 

a sustainable development strategy, establishes principles for 

the public administration to consider in striving to integrate 

sustainable development into all of its activities, and provides 

for the implementation of conditions that favor broad participation from regional and local communities, institutions and 

businesses in implementing sustainable development in Québec. It also introduces the creation of a green fund to support 

the initiatives of environmental groups and municipalities. 

Between February and March 2005, 14 regional meetings were 

held and 227 papers submitted.

 Adoption in December 2004 of amendments to the Environment Quality Act (EQA) recognizing the polluter-pays principle 

by allowing the introduction, by way of regulation, of a fee structure for certain environmental monitoring. 

 In December 2004, the Regulation Respecting Agricultural 

Operations was amended to introduce the concept of degraded 

watersheds. Limits on pig farms, in municipalities in degraded 

watersheds and everywhere else, were extended until 15 

December 2005. 

 During 2004–2005, the MDDEP continued its implementation of the Residual Materials Management Policy 1998–2008 

through various measures that will have major structuring 

effects over the coming years. Québec adopted the Regulation 

Respecting Halocarbons to achieve international objectives in 

the control and management of ozone-depleting substances.

 RECYC-QUÉBEC continued to oversee and assess the preparation of waste management plans by municipal authorities. 

With respect to protected areas, work was begun to create two 

new provincial parks, one of which is located in the boreal forest; 

this work targets an area of 2,500 square kilometers. 

 During 2004, a draft regulation to list 25 new plant species 

as threatened or vulnerable and 36 important habitats for these 

species was published in the Gazette officielle du Québec for 

public consultation purposes, and six new wildlife species were 

listed under the Act respecting threatened or vulnerable species. 

 In November 2004, the Québec government made public its 

Strategy and Action Plan on Biological Diversity 2004–2007. For 

each of the Plan’s 22 priority intervention points, which range 

from protected areas to activities on the Canadian scene, objectives and performance indicators were identified to allow for 

monitoring progress.

 In 2004–2005, the MDDEP recognized 10 new nature reserves 

on private land, totaling 1,217 hectares, and granted $4.7 million 

for the acquisition of 54 natural sites covering over 22 square 

kilometers distributed over Québec’s 11 administrative regions. 

This partnership with non-governmental organizations aims to 

protect natural areas, some of which are rare and exceptional, in 

the most populated and utilized part of Québec.

 In 2004–2005, the MDDEP constituted seven new proposed 

biodiversity reserves and one proposed aquatic reserve in the 

“natural province” or ecoprovince of the Abitibi and James 

Bay lowlands and the proposed ecological reserve in the Finlay 

Islands of the Outaouais region. 

 The MDDEP has described biodiversity in the ecoprovinces 

of the central Laurentians, the Mistassini highlands, the Abitibi 

and James Bay lowlands, and the Appalachians in order to identify areas of interest and formulate new proposals for protected 

areas, and it has selected 20 representative areas of all ecoprovinces of the boreal forest and of certain marine ecosystems of 

the Baie des Chaleurs. A new protected areas action plan for 

2005–2008 was prepared. 

 In February 2005, the MDDEP made public Directive 019 on 

the mining industry, which primarily targets new mining projects and proposes new requirements for final effluents, a pollutant charge calculation procedure for releases into the environment, mining waste management methods based on dangerousness, and specific monitoring requirements for the post-operation and post-restoration period for mining sites.

 The MDDEP amended three regulations: the Regulation 

respecting the quality of drinking water (Règlement sur la 

qualité de l’eau potable—RQEP), le Regulation respecting waste 

water disposal systems for isolated dwellings (Q-2, r.8) and the 

Regulation respecting public wading and swimming pools. The 

MDDEP issued memorandum of instruction 04–03 (administrative tool related to the systematic delivery of violation notices 

to accredited laboratories in contravention of RQEP requirements for time limits for sending analysis results).

Article 4 

All Québec laws and regulations, along with most administrative 

rulings of general application, must be published in the Gazette 

officielle du Québec and are published on the MDDEP Internet 

site <http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca>, along with its annual reports. 

Reports, programs, agreements, policies and other documents 

for public consumption are published on the Internet site of 

RECYC-QUÉBEC. The public registers for the industrial sector 
36

and for livestock operations (farmland project notification) are 

accessible on the MDDEP Internet site.

 The MDDEP holds public consultations on its draft regulations and policies. The Québec wildlife department (Faune 

Québec) holds priority consultations with partners united under 

“wildlife groups” (Groupes Faune) and with the parks advisory 

committee, and holds public consultations on draft regulations 

and policies as necessary. 

 Between January 2004 and March 2005, 11 information sessions and public consultations, 16 inquiries and public hearings, 

six inquiries and mediations, one inquiry, and two public consultations on proposed protected areas were held by the Québec 

environmental hearings board (Bureau d’audiences publiques 

sur l’environnement—BAPE). 

 Th e Canada-Québec Agreement on Environmental Assessment Collaboration was published on the Internet prior to its 

signing. An initial public consultation was held on a draft agreement on permanent water resources in the Great Lakes basin 

between Quebec, Ontario and the eight Great Lakes U.S. states. 

Public consultations were held as part of the process of amending the RQEP and Q-2 r.8. 

 Over the course of 2004, the MDDEP published three guides 

to support and promote the implementation of integrated water 

management in Québec (Guide des bonnes pratiques de protection des rives, du littoral et des plaines inondable et dépliants de 

sensibilisation - villégiateurs et agriculteurs).

Article 5

Governmental enforcement measures

Within the framework of implementing the Pesticide Management Code and amending the Regulation respecting permits 

and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides, the MDDEP 

informed customers targeted by regulatory provisions or by new 

requirements (e.g., businesses holding pesticide sales permits or 

holders of pesticide sales certificates).

 Additionally, publicity was placed in specialized magazines to 

raise awareness among producers and workers in the farming 

and forestry sectors of the new requirement for a MDDEP certificate of qualification in order to purchase and use pesticides 

on farmlands or forests.

Effective enforcement of environmental laws 

and regulations

In May 2004, the MDDEP reorganized its regional services 

in order to boost monitoring of environmental compliance, a 

fundamental focus of its mission. All activities related to monitoring, such as inspections, inquiries and emergency response 

services were grouped together into a single agency, the Québec 

environmental monitoring center (Centre de contrôle environnemental du Québec), whose mission is to oversee compliance with 

environmental legislation throughout Québec by verifying conformity of activities that could cause environmental harm and, 

where appropriate, by implementing prevention, protection and 

restoration measures.

 In 2004–2005, 92 percent of authorization requests were handled within 90 days or less, compared to 86 percent in 2003–

2004, despite a 19-percent increase in the number of requests. 

Moreover, MDDEP inspectors carried out 22,639 interventions 

in the field, an increase of 13 percent over the average of the two 

previous years.

Article 5.1 (a) 

MDDEP inspectors and MRNF wildlife protection agents 

receive training in implementing new regulations in their areas 

of intervention. Inspectors receive basic training on the emergency plan, hydrocarbon spills, chemical spills, and the nuclear 

emergency plan.

Article 5.1 (b) 

Over the course of 2004, MDDEP investigators closed 469 investigation fi les. During the same period, 404 additional fi les were 

opened.

Article 5.1 (c)

As part of its support of watershed organizations in charge of 

coordinating water stakeholders, the MDDEP signed 34 funding agreements totaling $2.2 million for the implementation 

of integrated watershed-based water management; this recurrent funding allows the organizations to consult with various stakeholders to create master water management plans. 

Administrative agreement between MDDEP and MRNF 

concerning the cooperation and consultation mechanism for 

dealing with authorization requests received under section 

128.7 of the Act Respecting the Conservation and Development Of Wildlife and under section 22 (paragraph 2) of the 

EQA. Agreement between the MDDEP and the Department 

of Municipal Affairs and Regions Department (ministère des 

Affaires municipales et des Régions) concerning drinking and 

wastewater treatment technologies.

 Partnership agreement between the Québec Building and 

Environmental Municipal Officers Corporation (Corporation des 

officiers municipaux en bâtiments et en environnement du Québec) 

and the MDDEP to ensure a training framework for municipal 

officers that allows them to assume their responsibilities under 

Q-2, r.8 and the Groundwater Catchment Regulation. 

Canada 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 37

Table 1 Convictions in 2004 (MDDEP)

ACT / REGULATION Number Fine ($)

Natural Heritage Conservation Act 12 4,400

Ecological Reserves Act 1 50

Environment Quality Act 116 370,217

Pesticides Act 1 4,000

Act respecting threatened or vulnerable species 21 11,285

Regulation respecting solid waste 8 2,700

Regulation respecting snow elimination sites 2 10,000

Regulation respecting hazardous materials 15 105,420

Regulation respecting the reduction of agricultural pollution 38 85,000

Regulation Respecting Agricultural Operations 4 10,000

Regulation respecting the application of the 

Environment Quality Act 1 300

Regulation respecting the quality of the atmosphere 33 16,900

Regulation respecting pits and quarries 3 3,400

Règlement sur les espèces fauniques menacées 

ou vulnerable et leur habitat 4 2,000

Regulation respecting wading and swimming pools 3 1,500

Regulation respecting waste water treatment systems 

for isolated dwellings 1 500

TOTAL 263 627,672

Article 5.1 (f) 

The MDDEP has continued its implementation of four systematic 

intervention and monitoring programs: the farm-by-farm visit 

program (programme de visites ferme par ferme)—10,410 visits; 

the used vehicle recycling or collection business visit program 

(programme de visites des entreprises spécialisées dans le recyclage 

ou la récupération de véhicules hors d’usage)—583 visits; the RQEP 

monitoring program (programme de contrôle à l’égard du RQEP) 

2,900 networks controlled monthly; and the annual pulp and 

paper mill inspection program (programme annuel d’inspections 

des fabriques de pâtes et papiers)—60 mills.

 When, following a decree, the MDDEP Department of 

Environmental Assessment (Direction des évaluations environnementales) issues a certificate of authorization, it produces a 

review report that includes a verification program.

Article 5.1 (g) 

Th e MDDEP Department of Environmental Assessment uses an 

electronic fi le management system called IDÉE—Information sur 

les dossiers d’Évaluation environnementale. 

Article 5.1 (i) 

In 2004, all 62 facilities in the pulp and paper sector held depollution attestations, the equivalent to an environmental operations 

permit renewable every fi ve years. In addition to ensuring their 

emissions comply with applicable regulatory requirements and 

standards, these facilities are required, under their attestations, 

to carry out comprehensive studies of their wastewater emissions to determine how well aquatic receiving environments 

are supporting those emissions. In 2004, the MDDEP began to 

develop depollution attestations for industrial facilities in the 

mineral industry and for prime metal manufacturing. 

Article 5.1 (k) 

In 2004, MDDEP investigators executed over 50 authorized entries 

and search warrants.

Article 5.2 

Statistics on convictions in 2004 are listed in Table 1.
38

MEXICO PROGRESS REPORT, 2004

Introduction

This section of the 2004 Annual Report refers to the key 

environmental enforcement and protection activities carried 

on from 1 September 2003, to 31 August 2004. It includes 

the activities of autonomous agencies including the National 

Water Commission (Comisión Nacional del Agua—CNA), the 

National Institute of Ecology (Instituto Nacional de Ecología—

INE), the Office of the Federal Attorney for Environmental 

Protection (Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente—

Profepa) and the National Commission for Protected Nature 

Areas (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas—

Conanp), as well as decentralized agencies such as the 

Mexican Institute for Water Technology (Instituto Mexicano 

de Tecnología del Agua—IMTA) and the National Forestry 

Commission (Comisión Nacional Forestal—Conafor), and 

the National Commission for Biodiversity Awareness and 

Use (Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la 

Biodiversidad—Conabio). This report does not represent all 

activities undertaken by the Mexican government during the 

period of reference, or the full range of activities carried on 

under the North American Agreement on Environmental 

Cooperation (NAAEC). The purpose of the report is to reflect 

the principal environmental efforts at the federal, state and 

local levels.

Environment, economy and trade

■ Th e Commercial Forestry Plantation Development 

Program (Programa para el Desarrollo de Plantaciones 

Forestales Comerciales—Prodeplan) continued to provide 

funding for the establishment of high-quality plantations 

geared toward satisfying the needs for several timber 

products, ranging from rolled wood to cellulose, to help 

to reduce Mexico’s timber shortage.

■ Th e change in land use for 6,276.1 hectares of woodland 

(less than 0.001 percent of the total national forested 

area) was allowed as an exception to undertake highimpact social and economic programs in 25 states, such 

as electrical infrastructure (transmission and distribution 

lines), highways, mining, urban development (tourism 

and residential), farm projects and gas pipelines.

■ Actions were carried out to increase the production and 

productivity of forestry ecosystems and to promote the 

development of production chains to improve the quality 

of life of forest landowners. In this regard, support was 

granted to incorporate 1.7 million hectares into the 

technical management program and 58,000 hectares 

into the commercial forestry plantation program, and to 

certify 169,950 hectares dedicated to sustainable forestry 

management. Support was also given to establish and 

strengthen 30 indigenous community forestry enterprises, 

incorporating 60,000 hectares into the community land 

zoning system.

■ In the framework of the Socioeconomic Agenda, focusing 

on researching the design of economic instruments for 

environmental policy, formulating economic evaluation 

methodologies for natural capital and environmental 

services, and the establishment of environmental 

accountability systems, studies were conducted on 

water demand and power rates for farm pumping; the 

determination of the Environmental Water Services Payment 

Program (Programa de Pago por Servicios Ambientales 

Hidrológicos—PSAH); pesticide demand; policies to halt 

and reverse the wear on natural capital; collective dynamics 

in the appropriation of Mexico’s underground waters; and 

environmental mediation strategies for managing natural 

resources on collective properties.

■ On 24 June 2004, the Secretariat of the Environment 

and Natural Resources (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente 

y Recursos Naturales—Semarnat), the Baja California 

State Government, the National Chamber of the 

Cement Industry (Cámara Nacional del Cemento) and 

the company Cementos de México (Cemex) executed 

a Cooperation Agreement for the remediation of sites 
CEC Annual Report 2004 39

contaminated by the disposal of tires. In addition to site 

cleanup, the agreement seeks to promote the recovery 

of waste through coprocessing and to further the joint 

involvement of various social sectors and government 

authorities. Also, on 9 September 2004, Semarnat, the 

cement industry chamber and the company Grupo 

Cementos Chihuahua signed an Agreement to commence 

the disposal of tires at the Chihuahua city drop-off center.

■ As regards green management, 31 Green Management 

State Committees were created in the various states to 

measure environmental performance in electrical power, 

water, offi ce supplies and waste separation in Semarnat 

buildings. Th e Manual for the Environmentally Sound 

Use of Resources was draft ed and work was undertaken to 

create the Green Management Manual for Semarnat.

Conservation of Biodiversity

■ Five new protected nature areas were decreed, including 

Laguna Madre and the Río Bravo Delta, Isla Guadalupe, 

Islas Marietas, the San Lorenzo Archipelago and Balan 

Ka’an, adding around 1,237,994 hectares to the total 

protected area. 

■ Conanp authorized the addition of fi ve areas in the National 

Protected Nature Area System (Sistema Nacional de Áreas 

Naturales Protegidas—SINAP), for a total of 53 protected 

nature areas (ANPs) covering 11 million hectares.

■ A process was designed to regionalize ANPs, establishing 

seven regions for ANP decision-making and problemsolving. Th ese regions are known as Yucatán Peninsula, 

Southern Border, Northwest, Northeast, West, GulfCentral and Southern Pacifi c.

■ Mexico added ten sites to the Ramsar Convention on 

Wetlands in November 2003, for a total of 17 sites. By 2 

February 2004, 34 more wetlands were added, for a total 

of 51 Ramsar sites throughout the country. Mexico broke 

the record for the most sites added at once, reaching 

second place in number of wetlands listed and fi ft h place 

in total area under international recognition.

■ Two protected nature areas (Sierra La Laguna and Banco 

Chinchorro) were approved and incorporated into the 

MAB-UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves 

in 2003. Two others, Ría Lagartos and Ría Celestún, were 

submitted (approved in October 2004), giving Mexico a 

total of 16 Network biosphere reserves.

■ A total of 1.6 million hectares representing 499 Wildlife 

Conservation Management Units (Unidades de Manejo 

para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre—UMAs), for 

an overall 5,893 UMAs and an area of 22.29 million 

hectares, equal to 11.2 percent of all national territory. 

Th is designation provides for the conservation through 

sustainable use of more than 1,157 species and 51 

subspecies of Mexican wildlife and their habitat.

■ Th e National Technical Advisory Committee for the 

Recovery of Priority Species (Comité Técnico Consultivo 

Nacional para la Recuperación de Especies Prioritarias) 

was created and its regulations draft ed. Two new 

subcommittees were also created, for a total of 25. Th ese 

subcommittees act as technical advisory bodies for the 

competent authority for the conservation, management 

and sustainable use of priority species.

■ A total of 270 wildlife fl ora and fauna research projects 

were authorized, the results of which will contribute to 

awareness for the conservation and sustainable use of the 

nation’s biodiversity.

■ Th e application of policies for the sustainable use, 

conservation, protection and restoration of forest ecosystems 

through comprehensive basin management continued:

• Th e program for the restoration of non-forest soils in 

degraded areas was undertaken in 21 federal Semarnat 

delegations, with 20.7 million pesos in funds from 

the Temporary Employment Program applied in 110 

municipalities, benefi ting 9,865 persons. Two hundred 

ninety-three restoration projects were undertaken on 

9,285 hectares, with agroforesting, sediment and watercapture retaining dams, contouring and arrangedstone barriers.

• Th e National Forest Parasitology Reference Center 

(Centro Nacional de Referencia en Parasitología 

Forestal) identifi ed 872 entomological and pathological 

samples, preventing the entry of 21 quarantinewarranting insect and fungus genera into Mexico.

• Covering 4,300 hectares in 15 Mexican states, 230 forest 

remediation notices were issued, thereby protecting 

nearly 43,000 hectares from infestation.

■ Conafor endeavored to protect 500,000 hectares from 

soil erosion and degradation and the conservation and 

restoration of 30,000 hectares; the reforestation of 170,000 

hectares; the diagnostic and phytosanitary treatment 

of 188,000 hectares; and forest fi re prevention and 

protection throughout the country’s woodlands.

■ Th e National Program for Forestry Ecosystem 

Conservation and Restoration (Programa Nacional de 

Conservación y Restauración de Ecosistemas Forestales—

Procoref) was begun, subject to the specifi c operating 

rules aimed at making the use of public funds used in 

reforestation, soil conservation and restoration, and forest 

health more transparent and effi cient.

■ Under the green agenda, 33 studies were conducted for 

the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity and to 

halt and reverse the loss of natural capital, primarily in 
40

the Lerma-Chapala, Conchos and Valle de Bravo basins; 

for the conservation of priority species and habitats; 

regional- and community-level ecological zoning (notably 

the updating of ecological zoning in the monarch 

butterfl y region); the sustainable management and 

conservation of natural resources in Mexico’s indigenous 

communities; and territorial planning.

■ IMTA continued to work on its strategy for 

environmental awareness, improvement and protection, 

with a focus on water resources, through the execution of 

research and development projects aimed at the rational 

use, sustainable exploitation and conservation of water.

■ Conabio continued to develop the Living Modifi ed 

Organism (LMO) Information System (Sistema de 

Información de Organismos Vivos Modifi cados—SIOVM) 

to be used as a platform for the exchange of information 

and decision-making. To date, it has 61,043 wild relative 

records and information on 139 transformation events 

corresponding to 17 commercially released species in at 

least one country. It also prepared a directory of biosafety 

experts and worked on processing 42 LMO release 

applications, corresponding to 214 cases (receiving 

organism x transformation event x locale), issuing 

recommendations on the risks to biodiversity.

■ In conjunction with Mexico’s CITES authorities, Conabio 

organized an international CITES enforcement workshop 

for seahorse conservation and trade to provide exporting 

countries with recommendations for managing their 

fi sheries and putting the CITES provisions into practice. 

Pollutants and health

■ As part of the Comprehensive Clean Beach Program 

(Programa Integral de Playas Limpias), beach cleanup 

programs were provided to the municipal or state 

governments to prevent health risks. With the 

participation of representatives from the Secretariat of 

Health and the Navy and the CNA, the creation of local 

clean-beach committees was promoted. Th e objective of 

these committees is to assess water quality and to conduct 

beach and waterway cleanup and remediation activities. 

Mexican standard NMX-AA-120-SCFI-2006 was created 

to establish the requirements and specifi cations for the 

sustainability of beach quality.

■ Th rough the Metropolitan Environmental Commission 

(Comisión Ambiental Metropolitana), the federal 

government, the Mexico State government and 

the Mexico City government reviewed the priority 

environmental policy instruments for the Valley of 

Mexico Metropolitan Area. A key achievement was 

the establishment of new criteria and parameters for 

operating the “Day Without a Car” (Hoy No Circula) 

program, with eff ect from June 2004.

■ Th e Air Quality Improvement Program (Programa para 

Mejorar la Calidad del Aire—Proaire) was created for 

Salamanca, Guanajuato, in which the three levels of 

government, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the Federal 

Electricity Commission (Comisión Federal de Electricidad—

CFE) entered into a coordination and collaboration 

agreement to reduce air pollution in the region.

■ Eff orts continued to create an infrastructure to have 

appropriate technologies and suffi cient capacity for the 

sound management of hazardous waste and to reduce 

pollution and risks to health and the environment. At the 

end of 2003 total installed capacity for handling hazardous 

industrial waste was 8.470 million tons per year. From 

January to August 2004, the handling of 644,000 tons was 

authorized, reaching 1,792 tons by the end of 2004. Th us, 

total installed capacity grew by 21 percent with respect to 

2003, totaling 10.262 million tons per year, or 133 percent 

of the generation estimate of 8 million tons. In the case of 

biological-infectious hazardous waste, from September 2003 

to July 2004 the handling and treatment of 4,508.89 tons per 

year was authorized, representing an accumulated 258,794 

tons per year authorized from 1996 to the end of 2004.

■ In 2000, the CEC completed a factual record on the 

contaminated site known as “Metales y Derivados” in 

Tijuana, Baja California. Related to this, and through 

the 2012 Border Program, Semarnat, Profepa, the state 

of Baja California and the US EPA joined eff orts to set 

a workplan and initiate the actions fi rst to stabilize the 

site and prevent further risks to human health, and then 

to achieve the full remediation of the site. Semarnat, the 

Baja California state government and the municipality 

of Tijuana entered into a coordination agreement to join 

eff orts and resources for the recovery, reestablishment 

and remediation of the Metales y Derivados site. Th e site 

was gated and surface cleaning began. 

■ Th roughout 2004, remediation actions were carried 

out at sites contaminated with tires disposed of in 

Mexico’s northern border region, to reduce the negative 

environmental and health eff ects. Key actions include:

• Full remediation of six municipal delegations in 

Tijuana, Baja California.

• Cleanup begun at the drop-off center in Ciudad 

Juárez, Chihuahua and at the INNOR and El 

Centinela sites in Mexicali, Baja California.

• Demonstrative pavement of a secondary roadway 

using concrete made with shredded used tires in San 

Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León.

■ Toxic chemical studies were conducted to determine the 

Mexico 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 41

capacity to research persistent organic pollutants (POPs) 

and to inventory Mexico’s lindane and hexachlorobenzene 

stocks. Two online databases were also designed to release 

basic information on the main pesticides used in Mexico, 

POP research capacities and the need to strengthen 

actions to prevent and minimize the risks associated with 

such substances. 

■ Work continued on the strategy for the preservation and 

control of water quality. Key actions sought to address 

the problem of water underground water pollution and 

overuse and the ecological damage caused to the LermaChapala basin. Th e draft ing of regulations for the use of 

the basin’s hydraulic resources began, concluding in 2005. 

In addition, to prevent the discharge of contaminated 

water into national bodies, 58 new wastewater treatment 

plants were built by the end of 2004, for a total national 

inventory of 1,229 plants treating 63,809 liters of 

wastewater per second.

■ On 24 June 2004, the US EPA, Semarnat, the California 

Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and 

the state of Baja California signed a memorandum of 

cooperation for monitoring air quality, providing nine 

automatic air monitoring stations to determine criteria 

pollutant concentrations and other meteorological 

parameters, and four manual PM10 monitoring stations. 

With this agreement, Baja California with INE support 

will gradually take over the operation and data 

management of the stations located in Baja California.

Environmental law and policy

■ Public policies were adjusted to include eight strategic 

topics, including three priority topics: defense of 

woodlands, wastewater treatment and promoting 

transversality of public policy for sustainable development. 

Th e other policy areas were conservation of biodiversity, 

territorial action, environmental infrastructure, citizen 

participation, and the institutionalization and prosecution 

of environmental justice.

■ Th e agendas on Public Policy Transversality for 

Sustainable Development were draft ed and consolidated, 

aimed at including the environment in other sectors’ 

agendas. Of the 16 federal government institutions 

involved in the process in 2003, 32 were added in January 

2004 (including Semarnat itself).

■ On 4 October 2004, Semarnat executed a general interinstitutional collaboration agreement with ten federal 

government agencies for the development of ecotourism, 

rural tourism and other nature tourism activities in 

Mexico. Th e agreement seeks to promote the cooperation 

of institutions connected with nature tourism to join 

eff orts and resources to promote ecosystem conservation, 

further sustainable use, assist in the development of 

rural and indigenous communities, and enhance the 

profi tability of tourism enterprises. In this regard, the 

following interinstitutional actions were attained:

• A federal government investment of 222.7 million 

pesos to promote ecotourism in 2004.

• Th e draft ing of a Mexican standard establishing the 

requirements and procedures for interested parties to 

be green-certifi ed in ecotourism throughout Mexico.

• Training community enterprises to apply the 

“Moderniza” management model, an innovative 

approach to business management and 

administration based on respect for cultural diversity 

and promotion of ecosystem conservation.

■ Th e 2003–2005 biennial regulatory improvement 

program was designed to provide greater coherence and 

transparency to the environmental regulatory framework 

and to aff ord greater certainty to citizens, with a view to 

promoting long-term sustainable investment.

■ Th e draft ing and revision of Mexican Offi cial Standards 

(normas ofi ciales mexicanas—NOMs) continued for 

regulatory improvement, with the release of two new 

environmental protection standards in the Offi cial 

Gazette of the Federation and the amendment of three 

existing standards. Specifi cally, a standard on the 

confi nement of waste in cavities built by dissolution 

in geologically stable salt domes was published for the 

energy and mining sector, and another two were modifi ed 

to establish the environmental specifi cations for the 

drilling and maintenance of land-based oil wells and 

direct mining exploration, respectively. 

■ Th e direct industry regularization and enforcement 

continued. For example, 89 sole environmental licenses 

(Licencias Ambientales Únicas—LAUs) were issued to 

determine the required operating conditions to prevent 

pollutant releases. Th e resulting 2,557 annual operating 

certifi cates (Cédulas de Operación Anual—COAs) were 

processed to collect information used in the pollutant 

release and transfer register (PRTR) for 2002. Of these, 

278 were rejected because they did not comply with 

the fi ling requirements. Th e third PRTR phase was 

completed, with an inventory of releases by source in the 

six northern border states. 

■ In territorial planning, four new coordination agreements 

were signed to begin ecological zoning processes, four 

zoning programs were decreed, and seven multistate 

regional committees were established to track a like 

number of ecological zoning processes. 

■ Regarding comprehensive basin management, promoting 
42

the overall management of natural resources in the 

country’s diff erent hydrological regions, two studies were 

conducted in the Mexico basin to support environmental 

planning and decision-making.

■ In the management of the Federal Maritime Land Zone, 

a shared coastal management model was designed and 

created for the three levels of government, aligning the 

planning and environmental protection policies with 

provisions governing human settlements and regional 

development. Ten municipalities in six Mexican states 

were selected to test the model.

■ Th e National Forestry Management System (Sistema 

Nacional de Gestión Forestal) began operations, 

interfacing the federal delegations to integrate and 

automatically update the National Forestry Registry 

(Registro Forestal Nacional) and forestry databases, and to 

track fi lings on line.

■ Actions were strengthened to protect natural resources, 

with the following achievements: routes for the illegal 

trade of timber, forestry products and wildlife species 

were sealed off in two of the main regions in Mexico; 

six alternative sustainability programs (programas 

alternativos de sustentabilidad—PAS) were undertaken; 

104 participatory oversight committees were set up; 

and 15 special inspection and oversight programs were 

created in protected nature areas. In addition, 36,108 

cubic meters of wood, 111,066 fauna and fl ora species, 

and 89,545 turtle eggs were secured.

■ Environmental law amendments, bills, standards, 

decrees and regulations were draft ed, including the draft 

amendments on environmental justice, the draft law on 

environmental economic instruments, and the PRTR 

regulations under the General Law of Ecological Balance 

and Environmental Protection (Ley General del Equilibrio 

Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente—LGEEPA), 

published in the Federal Offi cial Gazette on June 3, 2004.

■ In energy and mining, the draft NOMs on the maximum 

allowable limits for the remediation of soils contaminated 

by hydrocarbons and the environmental specifi cations for 

the construction, operation and post-operation of tailing 

dams were released for public comment.

■ From September 2003 to August 2004, 477 projects in 

diff erent areas began environmental impact assessment 

(EIA) procedures.

■ Conabio continued to promote, facilitate and advise on 

the preparation of state studies and strategies for the 

conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Five 

states (Morelos, Michoacán, Querétaro, Coahuila and 

Mexico State) were included, with the following progress: 

Morelos, 74 and 100 percent, respectively; Michoacán, 74 

and 10 percent, respectively, and Querétaro 60 percent, 

only in regard of the former.

■ As part of Semarnat’s plans provided in the National 

Development Plan and the Environmental Sector 

Program, the federal government signed wildlife 

decentralization agreements with the Nuevo León, 

Coahuila and Tamaulipas state governments on 17 

November 2004. Th e decentralized functions include 

those relating to sport hunting. 

Citizen participation

■ Nine public consultations were held on EIA project 

submissions in seven Mexican states. Th ese consultations 

involved 1,916 citizens who submitted their project 

observations, comments and proposals.

■ In conjunction with the INE and with the participation 

of the Secretariat of Foreign Relations (Secretaría de 

Relaciones Exteriores—SRE), the Senate and Conabio, the 

Fourth National Advisory Forum on Whales was held.

■ A total of 8,819 citizen submissions were received, 6,425 of 

which referred to manatee conservation. Of all submissions 

received, 96 percent (i.e., 8,467) were addressed.

■ In the framework of sustainable development advisory 

boards (consejos consultivos para el desarrollo sustentable—

CCDS), Mexico continued to promote citizen involvement 

in the planning, execution, assessment and tracking 

of public environmental and natural resource policies, 

holding three national plenary CCDS meetings, eight 

regional board meetings and 19 operating group meetings. 

Th e CCDS released 115 recommendations, 87 percent of 

which were addressed by Semarnat.

■ To generate and process water management-related 

information and programs at the three levels of government 

using the basin as the basic unit of management, citizen 

participation continued to be promoted through basin 

councils and related agencies, such as the underground 

water technical committees. In this regard, the Law of 

National Waters (Ley de Aguas Nacionales) was amended 

to strengthen public participation and involvement in the 

formulation and execution of programs and actions to 

improve water management, preserve basin resources and 

develop the priority hydraulic infrastructure.

■ With regard to attending to indigenous populations, 

Semarnat, INE, Profepa, Conafor and Conanp 

participated in the formation of the Indigenous Peoples’ 

Advisory Group (Grupo Consultivo para los Pueblos 

Indígenas), to contribute to the creation of coordinated 

national policies addressing the sustainable management 

of natural resources and biodiversity in indigenous 

peoples’ territories, among other matters.

Mexico 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 43

■ The Environmental Education Program (Programa 

de Educación Ambiental) was continued, for the 

direct involvement of educational agencies and the 

interaction of state and local authorities. The program’s 

achievements include:

• In the framework of the National Forest and Water 

Crusade (Cruzada Nacional por los Bosques y el Agua), 

diff erent activities were carried on with 14,487 students 

and teachers in the basic and normal education 

programs. With the participation of CNA, Conafor 

and IMTA, an environmental stewards program 

was launched to provide 480 scholarships funded by 

the Secretariat of Social Development (Secretaría de 

Desarrollo Social) to young social service providers 

from 21 middle and upper school institutions.

• As part of the implementation of permanent 

reforestation programs, reforestation and training 

activities were carried on with the participation of 

14,742 students and teachers, who planted 17,000 trees 

from September 2003 to August 2004.

■ As regards the application of the Federal Law of 

Transparency and Access to Governmental Public 

Information (Ley Federal de Transparencia y Acceso a 

la Información Pública Gubernamental), the Mexican 

government attended to 2,143 consultations and 

requests. Actions were also undertaken to strengthen the 

institutional capacity to comply with the Law, with two 

workshops for public servants responsible for processing 

requests, the draft ing and approval of the administrative 

process for handling and tracking information requests 

and for the assessment and continuous improvement of the 

program, and the draft ing of organizational and operating 

guidelines of the Semarnat Information Committee.

■ To keep society informed of the state of the environment 

and natural resources, and to include the environment in 

decision-making at the three levels of government and in 

the economic and social sectors, work was undertaken 

on the National Environmental and Natural Resources 

Information System (Sistema Nacional de Información 

Ambiental y Recursos Naturales—SNIARN) and the 

National Environmental Indicator System (Sistema 

Nacional de Indicadores Ambientales).

Conclusions

In 2004, the actions undertaken focused on attending to the 

areas identifi ed as strategic, priority topics, including two 

at the top of the federal agenda: defense of forests and the 

comprehensive management of water resources. Some of the 

actions described in this report in accordance with the CEC 

program areas represent noteworthy progress, given their 

potential for positive results in environmental matters and 

citizen involvement. 

 However, Mexico continues to face major challenges that 

require us to continue to our eff orts in such areas as citizen 

participation, the protection and sustainable use of natural 

resources, the consolidation and improvement of the institutional, 

legal and regulatory framework, and environmental enforcement 

and policy. AT the same time, we continue to strive to incorporate 

environmental matters in the public policy agendas of other 

sectors, in order to consolidate the environment as a transversal 

topic to be addressed comprehensively from a State standpoint, 

thereby attaining a better environment and better health for the 

citizens of Mexico and the region as a whole. 
44

UNITED STATES PROGRESS REPORT, 

2004

Country Report on Implementation of the Commitments 

Derived from the NAAEC.

 The following report was submitted to the CEC Secretariat 

by the Government of the United States.

 The information included in this section of the 2004 

Annual Report is intended to highlight certain activities and 

developments related to environmental protection in the 

United States (US) for the calendar year 2004. It does not 

represent the full range of activities undertaken by the United 

States government regarding the NAAEC, nor is it intended to 

reflect environmental efforts at the state, tribal, territory, or 

local level.

 Note that all dollar ($) amounts are in US dollars, unless 

otherwise specified.

Introduction

In 2004, the United States (US) achieved noteworthy results in 

increased public participation and in the program areas of the 

CEC. Our successful programs are detailed in this section.

Environment, Economy and Trade

In 2004, the US accomplished signifi cant results in the area of Environment, Economy and Trade:

■ Th e US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

announced a Green Power transaction involving biomass 

resources (paper pulp) in Georgia and the Agency’s 

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, facilities. 

Nationwide, this is the biggest EPA Green Power 

procurement to date.

■ Th e Governments of the US and the Kingdom of Morocco 

signed a Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation 

where the nations affi rmed their mutual intent to pursue 

eff orts to enhance bilateral environmental cooperation as 

they expand bilateral trade. 

■ Th e Governments of US and Australia signed a 

Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation 

that acknowledges the two countries’ many shared 

environmental priorities and challenges, including 

improving air and water quality, protecting their 

natural resources and biodiversity, better understanding 

climate change, mitigating the eff ect of chemicals on the 

environment, and protecting the marine environment.

■ To expand potential US wind development through 

advances in cost eff ective, low wind speed technology, the 

US Department of Energy (DOE) opened negotiations 

for 21 public-private partnerships. Th e value of the costshared projects is expected to total $60 million over the 

next four years. 

■ To support research, development and demonstration 

of energy effi ciency technologies, DOE funded 13 

projects selected under the innovative State Technologies 

Advancement Collaborative (STAC). Th e total value of 

the projects will be nearly $17 million.

■ Peabody Energy's Mustang Energy Project received a 

DOE grant in President Bush’s 10-year, $2 billion Clean 

Coal Power Initiative (CCPI). Th e technologies developed 

under CCPI will help maintain abundant coal resources 

as a cornerstone of the Nation’s future domestic energy 

portfolio, particularly for power generation. 

Conservati on of Biodiversity

The United States took action in 2004 to protect national and international biodiversity treasures. 

■ To prevent further damage to sea turtles from shrimp 

harvesting, the US Department of State (State) 

certifi ed 38 nations and one economy as meeting the 

requirements set by Section 609 of P.L. 101-162 for 

continued export of shrimp to the US. Shrimp from 

other nations that have been harvested in a manner 

harmful to sea turtles will be embargoed.
CEC Annual Report 2004 45

■ Additionally, President Bush signed the Marine Turtle 

Conservation Act into law. Under the new law, sea 

turtles will be added to the list of species eligible for 

funding under the Multinational Species Conservation 

Fund. Th at fund supports comprehensive global 

coordination and collaboration for on-the-ground 

protection, research, and education eff orts in developing 

countries where resources and capacity are limited.

■ Ninety rare parrots, all smuggled into the US for the 

black market pet trade, were returned to Mexico by 

federal authorities at Otay Mesa, on the US/Mexico 

border. Th e parrots, which were recovered during two 

US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) investigations of 

bird traffi cking, are species native only to Mexico that 

are protected under international treaty and US and 

Mexican law.

■ Entergy Corporation, the Trust for Public Land, and 

the FWS announced the addition of 2,208 acres of land 

to Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in Tallulah, 

Louisiana, as part of a unique partnership to conserve 

and reforest lands in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. 

■ As part of our commitment to the national treasures 

of the Great Lakes, President Bush signed an Executive 

Order creating the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, 

which brings together ten Agency and Cabinet offi cers to 

provide strategic direction on federal Great Lakes policy, 

priorities and programs under the lead of the EPA. 

■ Additionally, FWS granted $566,256 to fund fi sh and 

wildlife restoration projects in the Great Lakes basin. 

Th e projects will be funded under authority of the 

Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 1998, 

which provides assistance to the Great Lakes Fishery 

Commission, states, tribes and other interested entities 

to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and 

management of fi sh and wildlife resources and their 

habitat in the Great Lakes basin.

■ Government offi cials and tribal representatives also 

signed a Great Lakes Declaration and a framework 

document for the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration to 

restore and protect the Great Lakes ecosystem. 

■ EPA awarded $660,000 to 66 student teams for the 

2004–2005 academic year to research and develop 

sustainable designs through the People, Prosperity 

and the Planet (P3) competition. Students will design 

solutions that both benefi t the environment and are not 

prohibitively expensive.

Pollutants and Health

In 2004, the United States took great strides in addressing pollution and environmental threats to human health. 

■ To reduce the risks associated with pesticide use in agricultural and non-agricultural settings in the US, thirteen states and universities received grants to develop 

programs under the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship (PESP) Regional Initiative Grant program. EPA 

awarded $507,100 for outreach, education, training, 

demonstration, and measurement projects that advance 

pesticide risk reduction.

■ For calendar year 2002, over 24,000 facilities reported 

on nearly 650 chemicals in the Toxics Release Inventory 

(TRI) Public Data Release Report, the annual report on the 

amount of toxic chemicals released into the environment 

by reporting facilities, issued by EPA in 2004. Th e TRI provides the public with unprecedented access to information 

about toxic chemical release and other waste management 

activities on a local, state, regional and national level.

■ To study the connection between air pollution and 

cardiovascular disease, EPA awarded the University of 

Washington a $30 million grant. Th e grant is the largest 

ever awarded by the EPA for scientifi c research, and will 

contribute to a better understanding of the long-term 

health eff ects of breathing air contaminated by particulate matter and other pollutants.

■ EPA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 

with the National Urban League to work together on 

protecting children in socio-economically disadvantaged 

communities from environmental health risks.

■ EPA released the report "Particulate Matter (PM) 

Research Program: Five Years of Progress," which summarizes PM research by EPA scientists, grantees from 

universities and other US research institutions. 

■ Th e US and Mexico announced binational eff orts to improve 

air and water quality along the US-Mexican 

border. As part of the Border 2012 Program, the US 

and Mexico signed a binational air monitoring agreement 

and EPA committed up to US$13 million toward the cleanup 

of a wastewater treatment plant in Mexicali, Mexico.

■ To study the health eff ects of environmental contaminants on tribal populations, EPA announced $2.2 million 

in research partnership grants. Th ese tribal-academic 

partnerships will focus on strategies to reduce the risk of 

exposure to mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 

pesticides, and other chemicals.

■ To advance international cooperation on the recovery 

and use of methane as a valuable clean energy source, the 

US, along with representatives from Argentina, Australia, 

Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, 

Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom signed 

a Terms of Reference formally creating the Methane to 

Markets Partnership. 
46

■ EPA has demonstrated signifi cant progress cleaning 

up America’s most high-priority contaminated sites in 

the national Superfund program, according to the 2004 

annual summary of accomplishments. 

■ Th rough the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) 

program, EPA awarded $700,000 to three companies 

for development and commercialization of air pollution 

control technologies.

■ EPA certifi ed the fi rst Hybrid SUV for sale in the United 

States. 

Law and Policy

United States environmental enforcement programs generated 

tremendous results in 2004, indicating continued progress in deterring violations of the nation’s environmental laws and refl ecting an emphasis on environmental benefi ts and compliance.

■ EPA enforcement actions concluded in fi scal year (FY) 

2004 were expected to reduce pollution by a projected 

one billion pounds and require cleanups estimated to 

total a record $4.8 billion. Other annual measures of the 

Agency’s enforcement and compliance activity—such as 

the number of inspections (up 11 percent from FY 2003) 

and investigations (up 32 percent from FY 2003)—surpassed or kept pace with previous years. 

■ FY 2004 was a record-breaking year in terms of the 

eff orts by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Natural 

Resources Division to secure commitments for action 

from polluters to remedy their violations of the nation’s 

environmental laws. Polluters across the nation agreed 

to spend in excess of $4 billion—topping the previous record of just more than $3 billion in FY 2002—to 

take corrective measures to protect the nation’s health, 

welfare and environment. Additionally, courts imposed 

more than $181 million in civil penalties for violations 

in environmental cases, second only to the record-setting recovery of $203 million set in FY 2003. 

■ Buckeye Egg Farm, L.P., the largest commercial egg producer in Ohio, agreed to a comprehensive Clean Air Act 

(CAA) settlement under which the company would pay 

an $880,598 civil penalty and spend more than $1.6 million to install and test innovative pollution controls to 

dramatically cut air emissions of particulate matter and 

ammonia from its three giant egg-laying facilities. 

■ DOJ and EPA, along with the State of South Carolina, 

announced a major CAA settlement with the South 

Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper) concerning claims that Santee Cooper violated the CAA 

New Source Review program at several of its plants 

by undertaking construction activities and increasing 

emissions of air pollution without installing required 

pollution controls. Th e settlement is expected to eliminate almost 70,000 tons of harmful air pollutants annually from four of Santee Cooper’s existing coal-fi red 

electricity generating plants in South Carolina.

■ Rhodia Inc. was sentenced to pay $18 million in criminal 

fi nes and restitution as a result of its guilty pleas to two 

knowing violations of the Resource, Conservation and 

Recovery Act (RCRA). Rhodia was also ordered to perform 1000 hours of community service and was required 

to clean up the site pursuant to orders by EPA under 

RCRA. Th e criminal fi ne is the largest ever paid for criminal environmental violations in the District of Montana, 

and one of the largest ever paid for prosecution of hazardous waste crimes in the country. 

■ DOJ and EPA reached a settlement resolving CAA and 

other environmental claims against True Manufacturing Co., a maker of commercial refrigeration equipment in O'Fallon, Mo., near St. Louis. True has agreed 

to reduce its emissions of ozone-causing volatile organic 

compounds (VOCs) by more than 94 tons per year aft er 

settling a CAA civil complaint. True also agreed to pay 

a $1.5 million fi ne and to spend some $1.9 million on 

supplemental environmental projects designed to reduce 

VOC emissions from its plant. 

■ DOJ, EPA, and the State of Mississippi reached a settlement with Genesis Energy, Inc., Genesis Crude Oil, L.P., 

and Genesis Pipeline USA, L.P. (Genesis) for penalties 

and natural resource restoration and damages. Genesis 

will spend over $3 million as a result of an oil spill which 

discharged 336,000 gallons of crude oil near Soso, in 

Jones County, Mississippi.

■ Phelps Dodge Sierrita, Inc. agreed to pay $1.4 million for 

allegedly violating the federal CAA. Th e EPA estimates 

that more than 1,000 tons of sulfur dioxide were illegally 

discharged into the air from the copper mine and ore 

processing plant near Green Valley, Arizona.

■ DOJ and EPA, along with the Commonwealth of Virginia 

and the State of Maryland, reached a CAA settlement 

with Mirant Mid-Atlantic (Mirant) that would eliminate 

almost 29,000 tons of harmful nitrogen oxides (“NOx”) 

pollution each year from Mirant’s coal-fi red electricity 

generating plants in Maryland and Virginia. 

■ DOJ and EPA reached a comprehensive CAA settlement 

with CITGO, expected to reduce harmful air emissions 

by more than 30,000 tons per year from six petroleum 

refi neries in fi ve states that represent nearly 5 percent of 

total refi ning capacity in the US.

■ DOJ and EPA reached an agreement with Atlantic 

Richfield in a consent decree reimbursing the federal 

government for cleanup costs at four portions of the 

United States 2004 Report
CEC Annual Report 2004 47

Clark Fork Basin Superfund sites, where EPA would 

receive $50 million in payments from Atlantic Richfield Company, a subsidiary of British Petroleum, and 

another $12 million from the US Judgement Fund, for a 

total of $62 million.

Public Parti cipati on

Th e United States government continued our commitment to 

public participation and stakeholder involvement in 2004.

■ In 2004, there were 981 federal advisory committees with 

44,957 members advising the President and the Executive 

Branch agencies on a variety of issues. Advisory committees are established by one of four authorities—Presidential authority, statutory requirement, statutory authority, 

and federal agency discretion. 

■ Within EPA, federal advisory committees are an important tool for building consensus and providing input 

and recommendations from EPA’s diverse customers, 

partners, and stakeholders. In 2004, EPA managed 25 

committees, which played a strategic role in helping the 

Agency carry out its mission to protect human health and 

the environment. EPA’s advisory committees have about 

37 subcommittees providing advice to the advisory committees on specifi c issues. In 2004, the Agency held 151 

committee meetings which included 794 scientists, public 

health offi cials, industry representatives, academics, citizens, tribal groups, and representatives of stakeholders 

and all levels of government. 

■ In FY 2004, nonprofi t organizations working at the 

local level on behalf of communities to address environmental/public health issues received a total of 17 grants 

worth $25,000. Th e Environmental Justice Hazardous 

Substance Research Small Grants Program focused on 

research projects related to multiple environmental risks 

at the community level.

■ For continuing work on the nationwide Environmental 

Information Exchange Network, EPA awarded 67 grants 

totaling more than $20 million to states, territories, and 

tribes. Th irty-two states, three US territories, and 18 Native 

American tribes received grants under FY 2004 funding. 

■ An EPA web site off ering environmental policies and 

best practices from countries around the world, Gateway 

to International Best Practices and Innovations <http://

www.epa.gov/innovation/international>, was launched. Th e 

online global library provides links to journals, databases, guidelines, programs and case studies involving innovations in air, toxics, waste and water issues, as 

well as multi-media approaches, such as Environmental 

Management Systems, sustainable transport, smart 

growth and industrial ecology. It provides examples of 

state and local partnerships with other countries and 

regions that have resulted in creative environmental 

solutions in the US. 

■ EPA introduced IRIS Track, an online resource that allows 

the public to follow the development and review of Agency 

chemical health assessments in the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). IRIS is a key database of information 

on the potential adverse human health eff ects from exposure to chemical substances in the environment. 

■ To promote governmental and private programs that 

provide incentives for developing cost-eff ective environmental technologies (Energy Star, Green Chemistry, 

Design for Living), EPA launched the Environmental 

Technology Opportunities Portal (ETOP) <http://www.epa.

gov/etop>.

■ To help the specialty-batch chemical industry learn 

about voluntary environmental programs that can 

improve their environmental and economic performance, EPA released the EPA Voluntary Programs Guide 

for the Specialty-Batch Chemical Sector. Th is guide 

summarizes the requirements and benefi ts of 16 voluntary programs, such as EnergyStar, Waste Wise, and 

Design for the Environment, that are applicable to specialty-batch chemical manufacturers. Th e guide is available at: <http://www.epa.gov/sectors/sbchemical/index.html>.

■ To give Native American leaders a comprehensive guide 

to solid waste management, EPA’s Tribal Solid Waste 

Management Program developed the Tribal Decision 

Makers Guide to Solid Waste Management <http://www.

epa.gov/tribalmsw/resource.htm>.

■ EPA released a Spanish-language video, “Controlando 

los Factores del Asma,” to help millions of asthma sufferers manage common asthma triggers found inside 

and around the home and to advance the national eff ort 

to control childhood asthma. See <http://www.epa.gov/apti/

broadcast.html>.

■ To provide consumers with the information and tools 

necessary to make smart energy choices a part of their 

daily lives, DOE and the Alliance to Save Energy (Alliance) announced a year-long Powerful $avings public 

education and awareness campaign. 

■ DOE launched a new web site with detailed information and tips on how to save money by developing smart 

energy habits. Th e site, <www.EnergySavingTips.gov>, serves 

as a consumer-friendly portal to detailed energy saving 

information from various federal agencies.

■ EPA introduced two new interactive Brownfi elds web 

tools giving the public unprecedented access to interrelated information about local Brownfi elds properties. Th e tools allow residents to locate Brownfi elds in 
48

their area and provide access to new detailed information about the individual Brownfi elds grants. Users can 

access the Brownfi elds Envirofacts or EnviroMapper on 

the new Find EPA Brownfi elds Projects Where You Live 

page at: <http://epa.gov/brownfi elds/bfwhere.htm>.

Conclusion

Calendar year 2004 was a successful year for the United States in 

fulfi llment of our obligations under the North American Agreement for Environmental Cooperation. We have achieved important results in the program areas of the CEC and have improved 

public participation by making more environmental information 

available to the public. Th ese achievements represent the stepping 

stone to our continued eff orts in advancing environmental protection in the future.
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New projects 2005

Information for Decision Making 1,012.0

1 Information Systems Strategy 60.0

2 North American Atlas 140.0

3 Air Information Project 

(to include sub-projects: data in key NA cities and in clean areas; building monitoring capacities in Mx; study 

on marine emissions; infrastructure plan for emisions reporting; air contaminants; power plant database)

355.0

4 North American Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers 335.0

5 NA Monitoring and Assessment (SMOC NARAP) 112.0

6 State of the Environment and Indicators Options Paper 0.0

7 Quality System Development and Implementation 10.0

8 NA Environmental Law Database 0.0

Institutional Capacity Building 635.0

1 Institutional Coop. & Strengthen. for Wildlife Enforcement 70.0

2 Partnerships for Integrated Environmental Management 425.0

3 Building local capacity for Integrated Ecosystem Management. 140.0

Trade and Environment 928.0

1 Ongoing Environmental Assessment of NAFTA 198.0

2 Promotion of a North American Market for Renewable Energy 250.0

3 Green Purchasing 150.0

4 Trade and Enforcement of Environmental Laws 250.0

5 Invasives Species 80.0

Total New Projects 2,575.0

Current Projects

1 SMOC – Persistent Toxic Substances NARAPs 290.0

2 Biodiversity-related Activities 250.0

3 Children’s Health and Environment – Indicators Report 150.0

4 Regional Program of Action, DDT 80.0

5 Disclosure of Environmental Information 10.0

6 Environmentally Sound Management of Hazardous Waste 10.0

7 Successful water quality practices – world water forum preparations 5.0

8 Environmental Management Systems 0.0

Total Current Projects 795.0

Total Work Program 3,370.0

Appoved budget for 2005 CEC work program – 4 April 2005

Printed in Canada on paper containing 100% post-consumer waste fi bers

Commission for Environmental Cooperation

393, rue St-Jacques Ouest, Bureau 200

Montréal (Québec) Canada H2Y 1N9

t 514.350.4300 f 514.350.4314

info@cec.org / www.cec.org