Louisiana-Pacific Corporation's Attempt to Lower Air Emissions Standards!

The Louisiana-Pacific Corporation has made a public request to the Clean Environment Commission to have their Air Emissions Standards lowered! It is requesting to have its emission limits of formaldehyde increased by more than forty-seven fold at the dryer, and nearly fourteen fold at the press. Benzene emission limits will increase by a factor of twenty-one and a half at the dryer, and sixty-five and two-thirds at the press.

The LPC argues that the levels are low enough that they do not pose a risk.

Rather than hope that these levels are low enough to not pose a risk, and continue to use them until hard scientific evidence emerges showing that they may, in fact, be far more harmful than we were assessing, the Green Party of Manitoba believes that we should implement the precautionary principle. This means that when evidence gives us good reason to believe that an activity, technology, or substance may be harmful, we should act to prevent harm rather than waiting for scientific certainty, especially when alternatives exist.

In the present situation there is good evidence to indicate that the pollutants being released, including benzene, formaldehyde, and MDI may be harmful. Furthermore the technology already exists, and is already installed, to minimize the release of these harmful pollutants.

There are ... ways that LPC could work on reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, and the Clean Environment Commission should examine these alternatives.

Read the Article Here.