PRTR initiation - Performing an infrastructure assessment
To evaluate the current infrastructure relevant to designing and implementing a PRTR, your country could conduct surveys on topics including:
- Existing regulations concerning pollutant emissions and waste generation;
- Current information flows for pollutant emissions data;
- Industry activities related to emissions tracking, chemicals management, and emergency response;
- Literature and study outputs that provide pertinent background information; and
- Relevant stakeholders (e.g. environmental interest groups, research institutes and industrial associations).
Your country can then compile this information in a “National PRTR Infrastructure Assessment Report” which summarizes legal, institutional, administrative and technical infrastructures relevant to designing a PRTR.
With this information, a PRTR can be designed that builds upon existing programs, initiatives and priorities within your country. In addition, when your country has characterized its existing infrastructure, you may be less likely to duplicate existing efforts. To reduce duplicative reporting, PRTR systems should be integrated to the degree practicable with existing information sources such as licenses or operating permits. For example, if facilities must already report annual air emissions to demonstrate compliance with operating permit emission limits, it may be possible to integrate annual reporting for a PRTR with reporting related to operating permits, so that facilities are only required to report their annual air emissions once annually to a single source from which the respective data are distributed accordingly.
For a cost-effective management scheme, you may wish to implement the next element (Designing a PRTR) or choose another element from the Management scheme elements list.
Relevant tools
- UNITAR and IOMC: Implementing a National PRTR Design Project: A Guidance Document (1997)
- UNITAR and IOMC: Preparing a National PRTR Infrastructure Assessment, UNITAR Guidance Series for Implementing a National PRTR Design Project, Supplement 1 (1997)
- UNITAR, UNEP, and GEF: Final Meeting of the Steering Committee for the GEF Medium-sized project on “POPs Monitoring, Reporting and Information Dissemination using Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs)” (2012)