An “Industry Standard” is an alternate form of compliance to obtaining an ECA for air emissions, and obviates the need for air quality impact assessments. Instead, industries must operate in a highly specified manner to reduce air emissions. At the end of July 2016 new Industry Standards were offered for Ontario petrochemical facilities to address emissions of benzene and 1,3 butadiene, and for Ontario petroleum refineries to address emissions of benzene and benzo[a]pyrene. This Standard was developed largely in response to new air quality criteria for those contaminants that came into force 1 July 2016; facilities must either demonstrate compliance with the new criteria by that date or register for the Industry Standard. Requirements of the Standard: For both industries this standard contains technical requirements that relate to sources of contaminant associated with the following:

For more information on the possible implications of the Industry Standard and your air compliance status, contact: