By: Sydney Sybydlo
This is a list of select proposed EHS regulatory changes in Canada, the United States, and the European Union. Nimonik monitors EHS legislation, regulations and standards in over 30 countries and 400 jurisdictions. If you would like to track EHS legislation in specific regions, jurisdictions or countries, we are happy to help. Please send us a request for more information here and we will get in touch shortly.
Canada
- Federal – Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (Imports, Exports and Safeguards)
- British Columbia – May 2024 public hearing on proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
- Saskatchewan – Amended Incident Reporting Directive
United States
- Review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen, Oxides of Sulfur, and Particulate Matter
- Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Fuel System Integrity of Hydrogen Vehicles; Compressed Hydrogen Storage System Integrity; Incorporation by Reference
European Union
- No newsworthy proposals this month.
Canada – Federal
Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Made Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (Imports, Exports and Safeguards)
Published Date: 30 March 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has announced its intention to update nuclear safety rules, notably “to add requirements related to safeguards. Specifically, the proposed changes would introduce new requirements for any person either possessing small amounts of nuclear material or engaged in nuclear fuel cycle-related research and development and/or in nuclear-related manufacturing activities. The proposed amendments would also include lifting the need to present a licence at the border when exporting or importing prescribed information.”
Other changes would “include the latest revisions to international control lists, introduce new licence exemptions, enhance licensing information and harmonize record retention periods.”
The changes would be made by amending the General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Import and Export Control Regulations.
Interested parties may submit comments until 13 June 2024.
Additional information is available here.
British Columbia
May 2024 public hearing on proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
Published Date: 15 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry
WorkSafeBC is seeking feedback on proposed changes to occupational health and safety rules concerning dust. According to WorkSafeBC, the changes would “provide a more robust and structured regulatory framework governing workplace combustible dusts” that addresses the health and safety risks associated with combustible dusts.
Interested parties are invited to submit feedback until 17 May 2024. WorkSafeBC will also host two virtual public hearings on 14 May 2024.
The changes would be made by amending the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.
Details on the proposed changes are available here and here.
Saskatchewan
Amended Incident Reporting Directive
Published Date: 25 April 2024
Industry Sector: Oil & Gas
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources (the Ministry or ER) has announced its intention to update oil & gas incident reporting guidance “to support more timely and accurate reporting of incident impacts and to strengthen regulatory oversight of spill impact mitigation efforts.”
According to the Ministry, the changes would “require more information about an incident sooner in the incident response process to support more accurate and timely assessment of spill impacts and to enhance ER’s oversight over incident responses.” The “operating area” of a lease would be defined “to distinguish incidents that fall within and outside this area to more precisely determine spill impacts and the application of the criteria in ER’s site remediation and reclamation directives. Key changes relating to post-incident reporting in [Integrated Resource Information System (IRIS)] will also require:
- “all incidents [subject to notification and reporting requirements] to be reported in IRIS within two business days of occurrence (instead of the current five business days) with estimates on the type and volume of the substance spilled and the areas on/off lease and on/off the operating area impacted (presently required as part of the 90-day detailed incident report);
- “details on efforts to remediate and reclaim sites impacted by a spill to be provided to ER within 90 days of the incident through an IRIS update and written report (at present, such information is to be submitted to ER within six months of final reclamation);
- “a report at six months from the date of the initial incident submission to update ER on the reclamation status if an incident has not been closed by 90 days; and,
- “new status updates in IRIS on the progress of remediation and reclamation activities.”
The changes would be made by amending Directive PNG014: Incident Reporting Requirements.
Interested parties may submit feedback until 6 June 2024.
Additional information is available here.
United States
Review of the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Oxides of Nitrogen, Oxides of Sulfur, and Particulate Matter
Published Date: 15 April 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to “revise the existing secondary sulfur dioxide (SO2) standard to an annual average, averaged over three consecutive years, with a level within the range from 10 to 15 parts per billion (ppb).” It would also update “the data handling requirements for the proposed secondary SO2 [national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)].”
Interested parties may submit comments until 14 June 2024. The EPA will also host a virtual public meeting on 8 May 2024.
Additional information is available here.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Fuel System Integrity of Hydrogen Vehicles; Compressed Hydrogen Storage System Integrity; Incorporation by Reference
Published Date: 17 April 2024
Industry Sector: Hardware Manufacturing, Road Transportation
The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced its intention to establish new vehicle safety standards that “[specify] performance requirements for all motor vehicles that use hydrogen as a fuel source.” According to NHTSA, the standards “would specify requirements for the integrity of the fuel system in hydrogen vehicles during normal vehicle operations and after crashes [and] would specify requirements for the compressed hydrogen storage system to ensure the safe storage of hydrogen onboard vehicles.”
Interested parties may submit comments until 17 June 2024.
Additional information is available here.
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