When applying for an air and noise Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA), a decision is required as to what kind of ECA one should apply for. There are currently two options available:
1. Site-wide ECA
2. Limited Operational Flexibility (LOF) ECA
Evaluating your options comes down to several aspects of your business / facility. Site-wide ECAs are generally useful for companies that do not change their production, their plant layout, their stacks etc. very often. If a change is made to the facility that could impact air or noise emissions an amendment needs to be submitted to the Ministry which takes time and costs money. Moreover, this means going through Ministry evaluations again. In short, this ECA is ideal for facilities that have stable operations year after year, no additional permitting work is required until there are regulatory changes or amendment requirements due to plant alterations.
Alternatively, Limited Operational Flexibility (LOF) ECAs are useful for companies that may make changes in the near future, whose clientele are often requesting different kinds of products necessitating their facility to change, update or expand. Every year, whether or not changes have been made, a form is required to be sent to the Ministry. If a new regulatory model has come into effect and/or if you have made a change to the facility, emissions need to be recalculated and possibly remodelled to ensure there are no compliance issues.
