By Michael MacMillan
Canadian companies wishing to export their PCB waste to the U.S. will not have to wait much longer. That was the message for hundreds of delegates who attended the 11th Annual Industry and PCB Forum in Toronto last month.
At the time of the conference, new waste export regulations allowing the export of Canadian PCBs across the border had yet to be resolved, pending final approval from the U.S. cabinet. Despite this, American PCB waste treatment companies considered the matter closed. And Environment Canada spoke in terms of when, not if, although the ministry was quick to remind delegates that their presentation was not an official announcement.
"I suggest you watch for that kind of formal announcement in Canada Gazette, perhaps in late February" said George Cornwall, Director of the Hazardous Waste Branch at Environment Canada.
Political formalities aside, the end of a long struggle is clearly in sight for lobbyists on both sides of the border. Dana Myers, President of S.D. Myers, Inc., shared with delegates his experience pressuring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to open the American border to Canadian PCBs. Frustration set in when he realized governments rarely make quick decisions.
"I began asking myself and God, if this wasn't just a huge mistake and waste of money and time," he recalled, " and if our U.S. competitors were right when they said it just couldn't be done."
That was then, this is now. S.D. Myers is one of several U.S. waste treatment companies currently promoting their services across Canada. Their pitch is simple: a cheaper alternative to disposal in this country. Shipping to plants in Ohio, Kansas, and even Texas, they contend, shaves more than 1,000 km off many comparable Canadian delivery routes, making it difficult for Canadian disposal companies to match them dollar for dollar.
Environment Canada estimates that PCB owners will save nearly $39 million (based on 1996 inventory) under the proposed waste export regulations.
Faced with the prospect of such significant savings, the government hopes to speed up the PCB disposal process, making Canada PCB-free.
The new regulations will also benefit Canadians by minimizing their exposure to hazardous wastes. If the nearest disposal facility happens to be in the U.S., which is the case for most Ontarians and Quebecers, then companies will have the freedom to do business with them.
"Until recently, the Canadian PCB solution was based on storage and inspection," explained Steven Lauterback of TCI incorporated, an American disposal firm. "Today, an ultimate solution is at hand."
But it was on these selling points that critics of the border option made themselves heard. In particular, some expressed concern that Canadian PCBs could end up in an American landfill site.
PCBs are very stable substances, highly resistant to chemical and physical degradation. They are also capable of penetrating the food chain.
Under the 1992 Basel Convention, polychlorinated biphenyls with a concentration higher than 50ppm cannot be landfilled. U.S. disposal options, however, vary widely from state to state. In some jurisdictions, the practice of simply burying PCBs continues. Cornwall reassured delegates that their concerns have already been addressed, reminding them that Canada cannot legally export PCBs to companies that fail to dispose of wastes safely.
Still, the landfill issue continues to haunt PCB owners. Dave Fisher of Environmental Consulting Engineers said risks posed by sloppy disposal of such waste are too great. He called on the U.S. government to follow Canada's lead in outlawing hazardous landfills.
"There's no such thing as a good landfill," Fisher said, echoing a familiar sentiment."All it means is that you're leaving the problem in someone else's hands."
Cost is also a factor. Canadian waste operators insist they provide a cost-competitive option to border exports. Vince Chiricosta from Bovar Inc., operators of Alberta's Swan Hills waste disposal facility, argued against exporting PCBs. A court challenge to the proposed export law launched by environmental activists Sierra Club, combined with NAFTA regulations that still prohibit the exporting of PCBs, he said, suggests the issue is far from settled. And though the cost of disposing PCB liquids tends to be higher in Canada, Chiricosta maintained that Swan Hills remains competitive in the area of solids and transformers.
He also explained Bovar's position regarding recent safety problems at the disposal plant. Specifically, he referred to an Alberta Public Health Advisory warning of abnormally high PCB levels found in wild game meat near the facility after PCBs were released into the atmosphere last fall. In a prepared press release handed to delegates, Monty L. Davis, President and Chief Executive Officer of BOVAR Inc. said Swan Hills continues to operate safely.
"BOVAR continues to put public health and environmental safety first...A risk assessment conducted by an independent toxicology consulting firm suggested that the release does not pose a significant risk to employee or public health."
Whatever the sales pitch, the bottom line for the PCB waste owners remains the same.
Lauterback remains convinced that only one thing truly matters to owners of stockpiled PCBs.
"We live in a market-driven society where ten years ago we shopped for bargains in apparel and on large ticket items like automobiles. Today, everything from telecommunications to air travel and kilowatts have succumbed to the great equalizer: price"
And increased competition is what the Canadian government was looking for in this arrangement. As Fisher explained it, the usual inclination of Canadians to support local businesses may not necessarily apply to the PCB disposal industry.
"Trade and marketing is North American, not Canadian and American.
Politics has no place in this matter."