Mexico Publishes Instructions and Format of the Annual Operations Certification for Annual Reports to the Registry of Emissions and Transfer of Pollutants

On February 5 th Mexico’s Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales or SEMARNAT)published in the Official Journal of the Federation a Decree Amending and Adding various Provisions regarding the Instructions and Format of the AnnualOperations Certificate for the Annual Report submitted to the Registry of Emissions and Transfers of Pollutants, which has now been implemented inMexico. This measure was adopted in order to provide those establishments that are subject to applicable reporting requirements with a means to submit theirannual reports to SEMARNAT. In the above referenced Decree, SEMARNAT, in addition to amending the Annual Operations Certificate format andcorresponding instructions, establishes that large generators of hazardous waste are obligated to present an annual report concerning their generation andtreatment of hazardous waste, which must be done by means of the Annual Operations Certificate. This requirement also applies to hazardous wastemanagement service providers who carry out activities at collection, reuse, recycling, processing, incineration and treatment centers, as well as deep-injectiontreatment, subsoil contamination, final storage and transportation of hazardous waste. In addition, comments to the Decree provide that the AnnualOperations Certificate must be processed pursuant to the time period and procedures set forth in the Regulations of the General Law of EcologicalEquilibrium and Environmental Protection in Matters related to the Registry of Emissions and Transfer of Pollutants Registry and with the Regulations of theGeneral Law of Preventing and Handling Hazardous Waste.