Permits, approvals and codes of practice are major components of the air-quality-management process in British Columbia to manage emissions from industry and business operations. They stem from the Environmental Management Act (EMA) and Waste Discharge Regulation, both brought into force in 2004.
Codes of practice ("minister's regulations") are legally enforceable standards that may apply to industries, trades, businesses and other activities.
Permits and approvals are authorizations by the government to discharge waste or emissions into the environment, subject to conditions and criteria that will prevent pollution.
The new Environmental Management Act provides a more flexible waste-discharge-authorization framework than used in earlier legislation. Under the act, the Waste Discharge Regulation streamlines the authorization of discharges by establishing different requirements for industry and business operations, depending on the risk the operation poses to environmental and public health:
As a result of this new approach, several new regulations and regulatory amendments have been made. Other regulations are being reviewed and revised, and codes of practice are being written. (See Updated Regulations and New Codes of Practice, below.)
Industry and business operations that need an Environmental Management Act permit, approval (or significant regulatory amendment) must make an application, which involves a number of activities by the applicant, qualified professionals and ministry staff. To find out more, visit the Waste Discharge Authorizations website.
To find out more, visit New Update: Summary of Action Plan in Response to the Program Evaluation for the Code of Practice Development and Regulatory Review Process and Air Quality Regulations.
To understand the terms used in the regulatory process, see The Legislative Framework.
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