Clean-air activist presses for Irving refinery change as permit comes up for renewal
Public has until May 16 to submit comments for air quality approval permit
Gordon Dalzell has lived for decades near the Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John, and air quality has long been top of mind for him, both as a clean-air activist and as a resident who likes to walk the streets of his neighbourhood.
He always wonders what he might be breathing in.
Sometimes, he said, he can smell and taste pollutants in the air; other times he feels a shortness of breath.
He said this suggests that maybe the air those days has a higher than usual level of ground-level ozone, caused by a mix of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides from the refinery, mixed with heat from the sun.
Dalzell files complaints when he thinks something is amiss.
"The industries take them very seriously, and they've often told me, 'Look, no problem," Dalzell said in a recent interview on the east side of the city, overlooking the refinery. "We're glad to get this information so we can make some corrections.'"
Dalzell also participates in larger opportunities to influence air quality near the refinery, most recently the public engagement process for the renewal of the refinery's air quality approval to operate.
The current approval, in place for the last five years, expires July 15.
Dalzell keeps an eye on things through the federal government's local air quality health index, which takes regular readings of ground level ozone, fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide in communities across the country.
Using a scale of one to 10, Dalzell said, it's a gauge of when it's safe to go outside and engage in sports and other physical activities.
"If it's above six or seven and it still looks OK outside, that means that there is some ground-level ozone out there and that can make it sometimes a little harder to breathe, especially when you exert yourself," Dalzell said.
The public participation part of the refinery renewal process began Jan. 15, when people were invited to submit comments, which were addressed in an interim report issued in March along with a draft approval to operate.
The period for public comment ends May 16, after which the New Brunswick Environment Department will prepare a final summary of the issues and responses and give it to the environment minister for final approval.
He has been a lone advocate when it comes to this public engagement process but a successful one. His submission in 2020 was 200 pages long, handwritten and raised 33 issues. He asked for stricter emissions levels for sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. The Environment Department responded by capping them at 4,500 tonnes.
"If we're going to be living in the community with this source of air pollution, it really is key if we can take a look at [potential issues] and then make some recommendations and say to yourself, '[are] these the kind of limits that are going to be sufficient to protect public health, or do we need to have more, stricter conditions and rules around their approval to operate on the air quality side?'" Dalzell said.
In February, in response to the interim report, he made a submission with 18 issues he wanted addressed.
This time, the department plans to cap emissions of sulphur dioxide at 4,000 tonnes a year, down 500 tonnes, a victory for the public engagement process, Dalzell said.
"So over the last two approvals we've seen the public concern around that pollutant being realized with new rules, with a reduction of this particular air pollutant."
While it's important to reduce these emissions, he said the refinery isn't a significant source of sulphur dioxide. He's more worried about particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, which include benzene, "which should never be emitted anywhere."
"It's the other pollutants that it emits, that the [department] has kept the same level over the last several years … that really concerns me."
Among the many changes he'd like to see is more transparency by Irving on air quality issues. There is a community liaison committee, but its minutes aren't available on Irving Oil's website or the government's site.
Rob Moir, an economics professor at the University of New Brunswick, said the government should require a more robust public engagement process under the Clean Air Act.
The latest engagement process was launched in January with a brief news release online and no links to information on how to engage. There was a small print and digital advertisement, with an invitation to submit comments, but no public meetings or door-to-door outreach in affected neighbourhoods.
"How many people actually know there's an operational assessment going on and that they have the right to submit questions?" said Moir.
Under the act, the province can hold public information sessions, but they're not required. A web page lists the ways people can become engaged and lists a project manager and a refinery employee as resources for people who have questions.
Irving Oil did not respond to requests for an interview for this story. The Environment Department did not make someone available for an interview.
The refinery permit is up for renewal at a time when the city is confronting many issues related to the relationship between neighbourhoods and industry. Lorneville residents are concerned about Saint John's proposed expansion of the industrial park. On the west side, where the Irving Pulp and Paper mill is being upgraded, J.D. Irving Ltd. withdrew a request for rezoning of a park in the face of community opposition.
Residents push back
Dalzell said he believes the city was essentially developed as an industrial park with neighbourhoods "etched out" in the areas around large-scale businesses such as mills, breweries and the refinery. Whether it's air quality, odour, noise or vehicle and train traffic, businesses need to be sensitive to the needs of residents, he said.
"People are starting to say, 'Hold it, we have to push back,' he said. "We have a right to quality of life and enjoyment of property and we can't be encroached and invaded by industrial development everywhere."
Dalzell recently made a public presentation at an event organized by the Saint John Community Coalition, encouraging the gathering of environment-minded residents to submit comments before the May 16 deadline.
"I've always encouraged others, and I've always tried to review these documents and make recommendations and bring up limitations and make suggestions that can reduce these emissions," he said.
"Let's face it, we only have one kick at the can every five years."
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