Quebec charges Noranda of violating pollution law

The Quebec government has charged Noranda Minerals with three counts of violating provincial air pollution laws. The charges allege that the company’s Horne copper smelter in Rouyn-Noranda, Que., emitted “high concentrations” of acid-rain- causing sulphur dioxide last August.

The 60-year-old smelter is said to be the largest single source of acid-rain-causing emissions in the province. (Also, federal studies show that it is the second largest source in North America, second only to Inco’s nickel smelter in Sudbury, Ont.)

Under provicial regulation, the level of sulphur dioxide in the air to which residents are exposed is not to exceed an average of 0.5 parts per million (ppm) per hour. Allegedly, emisions from the smelter averaged 2.85 ppm over an hour last Aug 14.

In 1987, Noranda signed an agreement with the federal and provincial governments to cut its emissions in half by 1990. The agreement called for the construction of a $125-million sulphuric acid plant for the recycling of sulphur dioxide.

Print

 

Republish this article

Be the first to comment on "Quebec charges Noranda of violating pollution law"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*


By continuing to browse you agree to our use of cookies. To learn more, click more information

Dear user, please be aware that we use cookies to help users navigate our website content and to help us understand how we can improve the user experience. If you have ideas for how we can improve our services, we’d love to hear from you. Click here to email us. By continuing to browse you agree to our use of cookies. Please see our Privacy & Cookie Usage Policy to learn more.

Close