How to Report Industrial Air Emissions Accurately and Comply with Regulations.

Industrial air emissions reporting in Alberta can involve much more than filling out an AEIR. In some cases you'll have to quantify point and non-point emissions, complete stack surveys, report RATA or CGA results, notify the Director about monitoring changes, and correct previously submitted data.

To use this guide, find the reporting obligation, check the deadline, gather the required information, and then go to the Alberta Air Monitoring Directive (AMD) section for details. This page explains the AMD Chapter 9 (Sections 7 to 11) requirements in plain language and shows you where each reporting obligation fits.

See the whole AMD document here.

Master Alberta Industrial Air Emissions Reporting with AMD Chapter 9

Need to submit an Annual Emissions Inventory Report? Alberta’s regulatory requirements include specific emission thresholds, quantification methods, deadlines, certification requirements, and reporting rules for point and non-point sources.

This practical guide summarizes AMD Chapter 9, Sections 7–11, giving you the key steps for compliance, avoiding reporting errors and keeping operations on track under Alberta's environmental regulations.

See a summary of the first six sections on this page.

Industrial Air Emissions Reporting:

What Do You Need to Do for Industrial Air Emissions Reporting? Are you trying to...

Prepare an AEIR? and determine whether an AEIR is required  →   Section 7

Notify Alberta about testing or monitoring changes?   →   Section 8

Report a stack survey, RATA or CGA?   →   Section 9

Submit supplemental monitoring results?   →   Section 10

Correct previously submitted data?   →   Section 11

Reporting industrial air emissions - Section 7

Under Alberta’s environmental regulations, industrial facilities must maintain an annual inventory of air emissions and submit an Annual Emissions Inventory Report (AEIR) when reporting criteria are met.

If your approval requires production reporting, use the AMD Production Form. You may also need to provide summaries of air monitoring activities and results, sulphur block usage, and any operational changes that could affect industrial air emissions or compliance.

An Alberta energy plant with air emissions.

When do you need an AEIR?

Submit an Annual Emissions Inventory Report (AEIR) if your facility emits regulated substances above specified reporting thresholds.

What must be reported?

• Point-source emissions: Quantify annual actual, normal, and maximum emissions for listed substances at each emission source.
• Non-point emissions: Include diffuse sources such as material handling, mine operations, haul roads, equipment, storage tanks, tailings ponds, space heating, and fugitive leaks.

Basically, if emissions exceed reporting thresholds, you must quantify and report both point and non-point air emissions using approved AMD methods.

AEIR at a glance

Submit your AEIR by September 30 using the official AMD reporting form (But do not modify the form itself). Reports must include facility details, contact information, operational incidents, emissions data, emission limits, pollution controls, and applicable non-point sources such as tanks, stockpiles, and fugitive emissions.

You'll also need to document significant changes from the previous year, including operational, process, or measurement changes, and explain the methods used to calculate industrial air emissions from direct measurements to emission factors and estimation techniques.

Before submission, the responsible person must certify that the report is accurate, complete, and diligently prepared. If errors or omissions are discovered, AMD provides specific procedures for corrections and amendments.

Tip: AMD Section 7.3 includes a useful AEIR flowchart that serves as a reporting checklist. Always verify requirements against the Reporting Chapter, your facility approval, and any Director instructions.

AEIR reporting flowchart

Five things Professionals get Wrong

1. Assuming every facility has the same reporting requirements.

Your approval can add requirements beyond the general AMD provisions.

2. Treating the AEIR as a form rather than an inventory.
The numbers should reconcile with production, monitoring, source testing, operating conditions and calculation methods.

3. Forgetting non-point sources.
Fugitive emissions, storage, material handling, roads and other diffuse sources may matter.

4. Treating an emissions-monitoring problem as merely an equipment problem.
A failed calibration, missed test, invalid data period or monitoring interruption can create a reporting obligation.

5. Waiting until the report is due to find discrepancies.
Reconciliation should happen throughout the year.

Need help determining what belongs in your AEIR?
Calvin Consulting can review your emissions inventory, source data, calculations, and reporting requirements.  See below.

Industrial Notifications - Section 8

Certain activities require advance notice to the Director, including stack testing, operational start-ups and shutdowns, equipment relocations, and changes to monitoring programs.

• 14 days' notice: Required for stack surveys, RATAs, new monitoring stations, monitoring method changes, parameter changes, or ambient monitoring conducted less than 12 months per year.
• 30 days' notice: Required before shutting down an ambient analyzer or meteorological sensor, or relocating an ambient monitoring station (approval may also be required).
• Use the AMD Stack Survey and RATA Notification Form or AMD Notification Template, as applicable.
• If schedules change due to weather, equipment issues, or other factors, notify the Director as soon as possible and explain the reason.

Monitoring conducted solely for internal purposes typically does not require notification. However, if data is submitted to the regulator, AMD requirements should be followed.

Bottom line: Notify early, use the correct AMD forms, and keep regulators informed of any operational or monitoring changes.

Additional industrial monitoring - Section 9

Stack Surveys, RATAs, and CGAs: Reporting Essentials

Manual stack survey, Relative Accuracy Test Audit (RATA), and Cylinder Gas Audit (CGA) reports must generally be submitted by the end of the month following the test or audit. Before submission, results should be reviewed against approval limits, operating conditions, sampling requirements, and reporting criteria.

Manual stack surveys must follow the Alberta Stack Sampling Code and include:

• The AMD Manual Stack Survey Summary Form
• Source identification, testing dates, pollutants, and results
• Sampling and analytical methods
• Production and operating conditions during testing
• Any deviations from approved methods
• Explanations of non-compliance, problems encountered, and corrective actions
• Supporting appendices with raw data, calculations, laboratory reports, calibration certificates, and other technical documentation

Reporting industrial emissions in Alberta

RATA reports verify the accuracy of emissions monitoring systems and must be submitted for every audit, whether completed or not. Reports should include analyzer details, audit dates, compliance results, and required supporting data.

CGA reports assess emissions monitoring system performance using certified calibration gases. Reports must include monitored parameters, analyzer information, gas concentrations, audit results, and performance comparisons.

Detailed technical requirements exist for all three reporting types. This overview highlights the essentials, but the AMD and Alberta Stack Sampling Code should be consulted for complete reporting requirements.

What helps most: Emission monitoring data needs to be accurate, documented, and reported on time to demonstrate compliance. A failed calibration isn't necessarily just an equipment problem. It may become a data-quality and reporting problem.

Section 10 - Industrial Supplemental Monitoring Results

Section 10 addresses supplemental monitoring results, including RATA and CGA reporting requirements. Much of the technical reporting content overlaps with the requirements described in Section 9. See the detailed RATA/CGA requirements above and consult the applicable AMD section for specific submission requirements.

Section 11 - Amendments to Industrial Reports and Data

Mistakes happen—but they must be corrected quickly.

If an error or omission is discovered in a submitted report, the responsible person must follow the applicable AMD correction and amendment requirements.

Site of an industrial facility

Amended reports must generally be submitted within 30 days of discovering an error or receiving notice from the regulator. Clearly identify the submission as an amended report.

Ambient air monitoring data submitted to Alberta’s Ambient Air Quality Data Warehouse must be corrected and resubmitted following the Data Submitter’s Guide.

Continuous emissions monitoring (CEMS) data errors should be reported to the Director as soon as possible, with corrected data submitted by the required deadline.

For all other monitoring data, explain what went wrong, why it happened, and how it will be corrected and prevented in the future.

If you discover an error or the regulator finds one, report it, correct it, and document the fix promptly.

A reporting deadline is a poor time to discover that last year’s emission factor, production data, and CEMS records don’t agree.

You've now got the checklist. But if your inventory doesn't reconcile, the reporting requirement isn't clear, or the deadline is approaching, that's where professional review can save considerable time and risk.

Get expert advice tailored to your needs.

Not sure whether your emissions inventory is complete?

Calvin Consulting can review your sources, production data, emission calculations, monitoring results, and approval requirements before you submit your AEIR.

Planning a RATA or stack survey?

We can help you understand the applicable monitoring, reporting, and data-quality requirements before testing begins.  This is better than after the report is already in front of the regulator.

Found an error in submitted data?

We can help determine what needs to be corrected, what needs to be reported, and how to document the correction.

Need a second set of eyes?

Calvin Consulting can review:

• emissions inventories
• source calculations
• CEMS data
• monitoring results
• approval requirements
• AEIR submissions
• RATA/stack survey requirements

these are just some common examples of where we can help at Calvin Consulting. Just send Barry a quick message at: 

Alberta Air Emissions Reporting: Deadline Guide

AEIR
-September 30

Stack survey report
-End of following month

RATA/CGA reporting
-Applicable AMD deadline

Stack survey/RATA notification
-Generally 14 days in advance

Ambient station shutdown/move
-Generally 30 days in advance

Report/data correction
-Within applicable AMD timeframe

These are for quick-reference, NOT substitutes for checking the current AMD, approval, or direction from the Director. Requirements can vary by facility and circumstance.

Before you prepare an emissions report, gather:

Regulatory

• Current EPEA approval
• Current AMD requirements
• Previous year's AEIR
• Previous amendments/corrections

Operations

• Production data
• Operating hours
• Fuel consumption
• Changes to equipment or operations
• Flare data

Monitoring and emissions

• Source testing results
• CEMS data
• Emission factors
• Stack parameters
• Pollution-control equipment information
• Fugitive/non-point-source information

QA/QC

• Calibration records
• QA/QC records

If one of these doesn't reconcile with the others, investigate it before submitting the report.

What does Alberta require me to report about industrial air emissions, and when/how do I report it?

Do you have concerns about air pollution in your area??

Perhaps modelling air pollution will provide the answers to your question.

That is what I do on a full-time basis.  Find out if it is necessary for your project.

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Thank you to my research and writing assistants, and the author remains responsible for the content.

Quick Q&A:

When is an AEIR required?

Short answer: An industrial operation must submit an AEIR when applicable reporting criteria are met.

Deadlines?

September 30, unless otherwise specified.

What is reported?

List

• Actual emissions
• Normal emissions
• Maximum emissions
• Point-source emissions
• Applicable non-point-source emissions
• Operational changes
• Required supporting information

Watch for?

Your approval may impose requirements beyond the general AMD provisions.

Practical note?

Don't start with the AEIR form. Start with the inventory.