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Alberta Passes Bill 12 Allowing Province to Restrict Exports of Oil and Gas to B.C. By Zoë Thoms May 18, 2018 The Alberta government passed Bill 12 – Preserving Canada’s Economic Prosperity Act on May 16, 2018, giving the province the ability to limit the export of oil and gas from the province. Bill 12 is aimed squarely at the Government of British Columbia’s opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline pr...

Posted in: Canada (Federal)

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Supreme Court to Revisit Standard of Review in Appeals of Administrative Decisions By Zoë Thoms May 10, 2018 In a recent decision granting leave to appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada signalled its intention to once again consider the nature and scope of judicial review of administrative action, specifically the question of standard of review.

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Federal Government to Intervene in B.C.’s TransMountain Reference Case By David Stevens May 04, 2018 On May 3, 2018, the federal Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould announced that the federal government will intervene in the British Columbia government’s reference question to the B.C. Court of Appeal. The Justice Minister indicated that “[w]e are confident in Parliament’s jurisdiction and w...

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B.C. Government Asks Court of Appeal to Affirm Right to Limit Bitumen Shipments Through the Province By Zoë Thoms Apr 27, 2018 The Government of British Columbia submitted a reference question to the B.C. Court of Appeal regarding the recently-announced regulations that will stop pipeline companies from increasing bitumen shipments through the province. The government is looking for the court to affirm its jurisdiction t...

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Saskatchewan Challenges Ottawa’s Proposed Carbon Tax By David Stevens Apr 26, 2018 On April 25, 2018, the Saskatchewan government announced that it has commenced a “reference case” to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal, asking for a determination about whether the federal carbon levy will be "unconstitutional, in whole or in part." This is part of the effort of the Saskatchewan g...

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Uncertainty Leads to Suspension of Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion By David Stevens Apr 10, 2018 On April 8, 2018, Kinder Morgan Canada Limited announced that it is “suspending all non-essential activities and related spending on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.” Kinder Morgan noted that while it has the support of the federal, Alberta and Saskatchewan governments for the project, it fa...

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Legislation Introduced to Replace the NEB and Project Review Process By David Stevens Feb 14, 2018 On February 8, 2018, the federal government released Bill C-69 titled “An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts.” The new legislation is the culmination of the promise...

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British Columbia Announces New Regulations That May Stop Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion By David Stevens Feb 02, 2018 On January 30, 2018, the British Columbia Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy announced that the province would introduce new regulations that will stop pipeline companies from increasing bitumen shipments. The justification for the new regulations is to given the province time to...

Posted in: Facilities | Canada (Federal) | Ratemaking

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NEB Denies Request for a Proposed Long-Term Load Retention Service By David Stevens Jan 31, 2018 On January 22, 2018, the National Energy Board released a letter decision denying an application by Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline for approval of a load retention service and reduced toll to Irving Oil Ltd.

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Federal Government Releases Draft Carbon Pricing Proposal By David Stevens and Rebecca Hines Jan 23, 2018 On January 15, 2018, the federal government released the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, a draft legislative proposal regarding nationwide carbon pricing, as well as a regulatory framework regarding the output-based carbon pricing system that is proposed under the Act. The release of the Ac...

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NEB Predicts Canadian Fossil Fuel Use Will Peak in 2019 By Sean Green and David Stevens Nov 02, 2017 The National Energy Board (NEB) now predicts Canadian’s use of fossil fuels will peak around 2019. In a shift from previous years, the NEB’s report released in October 2017, titled Canada’s Energy Future 2017: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2040, credits advances in technology and climat...

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NEB Publishes Interactive Pipeline Incidents Tool By David Stevens Oct 26, 2017 Recently, the National Energy Board (NEB) published an interactive online tool that helps users access and review a wide range of information about pipeline incidents at NEB-regulated pipelines and facilities. This tool allows interested parties to find, compare, sort and review data about “repor...

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TransCanada Abandons Energy East Project By David Stevens Oct 05, 2017 On October 5, 2017, TransCanada Corporation announced that it will not proceed with the Energy East and Eastern Mainline projects. As a result, TransCanada will withdraw its applications to the National Energy Board for these projects.

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Court Orders Government to Reconsider its Approval of an Assignment of an Easement Related to the Trans Mountain Pipeline By David Stevens and Dillon Collett Oct 05, 2017 In a decision related to the Trans Mountain pipeline, the Federal Court of Appeal has decided against Kinder Morgan and the Federal Government. In Coldwater Indian Band v. Canada (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development), issued on September 26, 2017, the FCA held that the Minister of Indigen...

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U.S. Federal Court Tells Regulators to Consider “Downstream Effects” of Proposed Natural Gas Pipelines By David Stevens and Nicholas Smith Sep 13, 2017 On August 22, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overruled the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) 2016 approval of the Southeast Market Pipelines Project. The project proposes the construction of three pipeline segments that will transport liquid...

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TransCanada Asks the NEB to Suspend Considering the Energy East Application By David Stevens Sep 08, 2017 On September 7, 2017, TransCanada announced that it has filed a letter with the National Energy Board (NEB) seeking a 30-day suspension of the Energy East and Eastern Mainline Applications. TransCanada’s letter indicates that it requires this time to review the NEB’s recently released...

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Federal Court of Appeal Reluctantly Allows BC Attorney General to Intervene in Trans Mountain Appeal By David Stevens Sep 05, 2017 On August 29, 2017, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) issued a Decision allowing the Attorney General of British Columbia (AG-BC) to intervene in an appeal of the Federal Government’s approval for the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. It is worth noting, though, that the FCA’s...

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NEB to Consider Upstream and Downstream GHG Emissions in Energy East Review By David Stevens Aug 25, 2017 On August 23, 2017, the National Energy Board (NEB) issued its Decision on the List of Issues for the review of TransCanada’s proposed Energy East and Eastern Mainline projects. The List of Issues is intended to be an indication of the key items that are relevant to the NEB’s review. ...

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Supreme Court of Canada Rules That NEB Can Fulfill the Duty to Consult By Stephanie D’Amico and David Stevens Aug 09, 2017 Introduction On July 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) released companion decisions that address the extent and manner in which regulatory agencies can participate in the Crown’s duty to consult Aboriginal groups. Clyde River (Hamlet) v. Petroleum Geo‑Services Inc. and Chippewas o...

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Energy Storage Developments in Canada, the U.S. and Beyond in the Last Twelve Months By David Stevens and Jasmine Chung Jul 27, 2017 The topic of energy storage has been front and centre in the energy world in the past twelve months. As discussed previously (here and here), energy storage has been referred to by many commentators as a "game changer" because it will greatly improve the efficient use of electricity resources (ge...

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Federal Court of Appeal Finds That BC Pipeline May Be Subject to NEB Jurisdiction By David Stevens Jul 25, 2017 On July 19, 2017, the Federal Court of Appeal released its Decision in a case related to the National Energy Board’s (NEB) jurisdiction over the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project (PRGTP). The Court reversed an earlier NEB Decision holding that the NEB had no jurisdiction over the P...

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Federal Government Issues Discussion Paper About Modernizing Energy Project Review Processes By David Stevens Jul 07, 2017 On June 29, 2017, the Federal Government released a Discussion Paper on Environmental and Regulatory Reviews. As set out in its “Purpose” statement, the Discussion Paper “outlines the changes that the Government is considering for Canada’s environmental assessment and regulatory processes that wi...

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NEB Reports Discuss GHG Emissions By Economic Sector, Including Residential Electricity Consumption By David Stevens Jun 23, 2017 In two recent “Market Snapshot” reports, the National Energy Board (NEB) provided information about the main sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Canada during 2015. These reports offer some insight into the main areas where GHG emissions reductions might be targeted in coming...

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Federal Government Releases Draft Rules to Reduce Methane Emission in Oil and Gas Sector By David Stevens Jun 02, 2017 On May 25, 2017, the federal government released a draft of the Regulations Respecting Reduction in the Release of Methane and Certain Volatile Organic Compounds (Upstream Oil and Gas Sector). The proposed regulations aim to reduce intentional and unintentional methane emissions by imposing restr...

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