The Horne Foundry, located in Rouyn-Noranda, proposed last May to lower its arsenic emissions to a threshold 20 times higher than the provincial standard.
This was revealed on Tuesday by the Legault government, which says it has sent the company back to the drawing board. Quebec does not exclude closing the plant if it “is not able to reduce its emissions”.
The Horne Smelter, which is owned by multinational Glencore, currently releases up to 100 nanograms of arsenic per cubic meter (ng/m) into the air, 33 times more than the provincial standard.
It has indicated to the Legault government that it could in the future limit its emissions to 60 ng/m, while the Quebec limit is 3 ng/m.
“However, this standard is still too high in our eyes,” reacted Tuesday Ewan Sauves, press secretary to Prime Minister François Legault.
“We asked the company to go back to the drawing board and come up with a solution with a lower threshold.
“We remind you: our priority is the health and safety of citizens. If the company is not able to reduce its emissions and get closer to the Quebec standard, we do not rule out closing the plant,” he added.
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