Changes to Oil and Gas Regulations in BC

Attention all Oil and Gas operators in British Columbia, as of March 1, 2018, the Emergency Management Regulation 204/2013 has been repealed.

Operators who have submitted a permit prior to March 1, 2018, will not be subject to the new rules. The most notable change to the regulation is the mandatory adoption of CSA Z246.2 – Emergency Preparedness and Response for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems. According to the new rules, permit holders “must prepare and maintain a program in accordance with CSA Z246.4”.

Another major change to the regulation is the requirement for operators to “adopt the Incident Command System as the permit holder’s emergency management system”. Permit holders will also be required to update emergency response staff on any changes or updates to their emergency response plans. New sections to the regulations include operator requirements during emergencies and documentation and reporting requirements following exercises or real emergencies.

Lastly, the Incident Classification Matrix previously utilized has been modified to include five categories of probability and the introduction of seismic events to the “Events and Consequences” category. These new changes are sure to produce more robust Emergency Management programs.

Full information on the new regulations can be found https://www.bc-er.ca/