Editor's note: Below is a statement from Ridley Terminals Inc. addressing the May 29 report in the Prince Rupert Northern View.
Ridley Terminals Inc. has responded to a May 29, 2013, article in The Northern View regarding the environmental impact of its terminal operations.
Ridley Terminals Inc. is a federal Crown Corporation that owns and operates a world class bulk handling terminal in Prince Rupert, on the north coast of British Columbia.
Since commencing operations in 1983, RTI has been strongly committed to environmentally sound terminal operating practices, and to safeguarding the health and safety of its employees.
RTI takes the unattributed allegations contained in the The Northern View news article very seriously, and is presently conducting an investigation into this matter to determine whether there is any factual basis for the issues that have been raised.
In conjunction with its investigation, RTI is willing to discuss the environmental impact of its terminal operations with federal regulators.
"Controlling our inventory is not just important for the environment, it is a crucial part of running our business" said Chief Operating Officer George Dorsey.
"Handling, storing, and transporting coal is how the terminal gets paid, so we make every effort to minimize any kind of product loss."
Since 2005, RTI has operated according to two International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines: Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001); and Occupational Health and Safety Management (ISO 18001). RTI has also operated according to a third ISO guideline, Quality Management Systems (ISO 19001), since 1998.
RTI is audited annually by two independent agencies for ISO certification purposes, has met or exceeded all ISO guidelines since the audits began, and was recertified according to all three guidelines in 2011.
In addition, RTI also completed separate internal compliance audits for Health, Safety and Environment (in October 2012), as well as of its integrated business system (in April 2013).
"RTI air and effluent discharges and associated controls have been approved and reviewed by regulatory authorities" said Tony Di Nino of Envirochem Services Inc., RTI's third-party environmental auditor.
"RTI is in good standing with its permit and regulatory requirements, and RTI is not the subject of any regulatory pollution abatement orders."
Earlier this year, RTI also became the first terminal in Prince Rupert to join "Green Marine", a voluntary environmental compliance program for the maritime industry throughout North America. As part of its "Green Marine" initiative, RTI is committed to continually improving upon its environmental performance, and to developing and implementing "best practices" that will reduce the environmental footprint of the terminal.
RTI will continue to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship by engineering and integrating new and improved environmental control measures in an ongoing effort to exceed all applicable regulatory requirements.