Page 17 - NorthAmOil Week 20

NorthAmOil
NEWS IN BRIEF
NorthAmOil
POLICY
Interior issues new
offshore air quality
regulations
In support of President Donald Trump’s America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today announced a final rule to update air quality regulations for applicable BOEM activities in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska’s North Slope Borough. The new rule does not relax any standards for regulating air quality, uses the best available science and makes important technical and compliance-related updates to bring the regulation into this century.
“Under the President’s leadership, the department has taken numerous, common- sense actions resulting in billions of dollars
in deregulatory savings, and we will continue to take actions to better serve the American people,” said Secretary David L. Bernhardt. “The final rule released today incorporates current standards, creates consistency with the statutory authorities and is one more step in the right direction.”
The final rule respects the clear and distinct authority Congress delegated to the department. The department’s jurisdiction is limited to activities authorised under the OCS Lands Act in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico and offshore the North Slope Borough of Alaska. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has air quality jurisdiction over
all other parts of the OCS. It is also limited to regulating offshore emissions of criteria and their precursor pollutants to the extent they significantly affect the air quality of any state. With this clear mandate, the final rule operates within these parameters to improve air quality.
“Offshore energy development accounts for 18 percent of our nation’s oil production andbns of dollars in revenues for the states, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the American people,” said Deputy Secretary of the Interior Kate MacGregor. “This common-sense update brings the department’s regulations in line with current standards and within our distinct, statutory mandate.”
The final rule provides a common-sense approach to ensure BOEM’s Air Quality Regulatory Program remains in compliance with the OCS Lands Act requirements by ensuring that BOEM uses up-to-date air quality standards (i.e., National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)) and benchmarks consistent with those already established by the EPA.
US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, May 14, 2020
MIDSTREAM
CER establishes Mainline
contracting regulatory
process
Today, the Canada Energy Regulator (CER)
announced that the regulatory process for Enbridge Inc.’s proposal to offer contracted transportation service on the Mainline pipeline system will proceed in a single phase hearing process that balances the need to address pandemic-related challenges and the commission’s mandate to adjudicate in an appropriately expeditious manner.
“Mainline contracts will provide shippers with priority access to the best markets,
at competitive and stable tolls, ensuring certainty of demand for Canadian light
and heavy crude oil over the long-term and supporting the best netbacks for Western Canadian producers, said Vern Yu, Enbridge executive vice president and president of liquids pipelines. “Mainline contracting
was developed and refined over a two-year period in response to customer input and negotiation. The offering has strong support from a wide cross-section of producers and refiners representing greater than 70 percent of the Mainline’s current throughput.” ENBRIDGE, May 19, 2020
Statement by the
Honourable Seamus
O’Regan updating the
government’s plan for a
decision on the NOVA Gas
Transmission Ltd. 2021
system expansion project
“It is a core responsibility of the Government of Canada to help get our resources to markets and create good, middle-class jobs. Stability and certainty for major projects can only be achieved when we fulfil our constitutional duty to meaningfully consult with potentially impacted Indigenous communities.
“Canada’s economy has benefited from our oil and gas sector. Our country will continue to rely on the hard work and ingenuity of the people employed in this industry as we build a stronger, more sustainable economy.
“The Canada Energy Regulator delivered its recommendation report on the NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. 2021 system expansion project (NGTL 2021) on February 19,
2020, concluding that the project was in
the Canadian public interest and should be approved, subject to 34 conditions.
“As with all major projects, the Government of Canada can only make a decision on NGTL 2021 once we fulfil our constitutional duty to meaningfully consult
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