The Norwegian PRTR Setting up an appropriate institutional

The Norwegian PRTR Setting up an appropriate institutional structure Øyvind Hetland

The Norwegian PRTR

The institutional framework – starting point • From the Guidance on Implementation of the Protocol on PRTRs: – Are the existing institutions and systems adequate for carrying out the various tasks and obligations? – One should perform a review of existing systems to monitor and register polluting emissions, including how information on pollutant releases currently flows among the various institutions. • In Norway, the Agency has an important role in collecting emission data from different sources into one database

Institutional structure in Norway Government Ministry of the Environment The Directorate for Cultural Heritage The Directorate for Nature Management (DN) Climate and Pollution Agency (Klif) Other ministries The Norwegian Mapping Authority (SK) The Polar Research Institute (NP) National County Governors (18) Administrative Regional Municipalities (430) Political + Administrative Local

Climate and Pollution Agency (Klif) • Directorate under the Ministry of Environment • Manage and enforce acts and regulations, and carry out audits and inspections • Monitor and inform about the state of the environment • Instruct and guide regional and local environmental authorities • Provide expert advice, assessments and suggestions to the Ministry of the Environment and other governmental institutions • Participate in international environmental and development cooperation

Legal Structure in Norway Reporting requirements Permits Pollution Control Act

Permits • • Permits are necessary if an (industrial) activity has emissions that might have a significant effect on the environment We have not established any specific activity or emission thresholds at which a permit is required – Exercise of discretion, case by case assessment • • • Generally, the emission standards are based on BAT (Best Available Techniques), but we also considering the condition of the affected recipients Both the Agency and the County Governors give permits on the same legal basis As a general rule, smaller facilities with low emissions are regulated by the Counties, and the bigger facilities with higher emissions are regulated by the Agency

Reporting Requirements – Onshore Industry and Landfills • The permits include measuring and reporting requirements: 11. 2. Measurement of emissions and reporting to Klif “. . . The Company shall submit a report on its total emissions to air and water, noise in the surroundings, waste quantities and energy consumption. Any deviations from the applicable requirements and the way in which such deviations are dealt with shall also be reported. The report shall be submitted by 1 March of the following year on standard forms issued by Klif. . . ”

Emission Data Flow – Onshore Industry and Landfills Fill in reporting questionnaire Data is stored in the database “Forurensning” Validation and quality check in the database “Forurensning” Data ready for presentation at the internet and reporting to other bodies

”My” Facilities

Publication of Emission Data • The Agency has the overall responsibility for publishing the emission data on the Norwegian PRTR web site • We aim to publish the data in June the following year • Before the official announcement, the Agency goes through most of the data that are presented on the web site as an extra quality check • The Agency and Statistics Norway collaborate on the calculation of emissions from diffuse sources (Households, agriculture, transport and products)

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