Standards, Regulation and Legislation

In 2005, Canadian pipelines supplied markets at home and abroad with more than $120 billion of natural gas, crude oil and petroleum products used to heat our homes, fuel our cars and power our industries. Most of these pipelines cross provincial or national borders and are regulated by the National Energy Board. As such, the safety, security and environmental protection of those pipelines are the responsibility of the National Energy Board. The Board regulates 104 pipeline companies with more than 45,000 kilometres (28,000 miles) of pipeline; that's more than enough to wrap around the Earth at it's equator.

Pipeline systems which are wholly contained within a province typically fall under that provinceÃs regulatory jurisdiction.

There are several agencies which provide regulation pertaining to pipelines, including

National Energy Board

• National Energy Board Act, Part III - Construction and Operation of Pipelines
• Onshore Pipeline Regulations - set out minimum requirements for all stages of a pipelineÃs lifecycle
• Canadian Oil and Gas Operations - pertain to exploration and drilling for and the production, conservation, processing and transportation of oil and gas in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Sable Island, and submarine areas, not within a province, in the internal waters of Canada, the territorial sea of Canada or the continental shelf of Canada
• Pipeline Crossing Regulations, Parts I and II - pertain to persons intending to conduct excavation or construction activities near pipelines

The NEB also conducts pipeline system and facility inspections, construction inspections, pipeline crossing audits and inspections, documentation and safety audits and pipeline accident investigations.

Canadian Standards Association

• Canadian Standards Association Z276 for pipelines transporting liquefied natural gas
• Canadian Standards Association Z662 for pipelines transporting liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons

Transportation Safety Board

• Transportation Safety Board Act
• Transportation Safety Board Regulations

The Transportation and Safety Board has also developed and implemented an integrated performance management framework. This framework consists of five key documents. The five-year TSB Strategic Plan is used to set the strategic directions. The annual Business Plan is then used to set the short-term priorities and to guide the activities and resource allocation decisions for the coming year. The Report on Plans and Priorities, based on the Business Plan, defines the commitments to Parliament and Canadians. The Balanced Score Card defines specific performance indicators and is used by management to measure and monitor progress. Finally, the Departmental Performance Report closes the accountability loop by reporting to Parliament on the results achieved.

Provincial regulatory bodies and appropriate acts and regulations are listed below:

British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission

• Pipeline Act
• Pipeline Act - Regulations

Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB)

• Alberta Pipeline Act
• Alberta Pipeline Regulations

Saskatchewan Department of Industry and Resources

• The Pipelines Act, 1998
• The Pipelines Regulations, 2000

Ontario Energy Board

• Ontario Energy Board Act, Part VI, Sections 89 to 104
• OEB Environmental Guidelines for the Location, Operation, Construction of Hydrocarbon Pipelines and Facilities in Ontario

New Brunswick Department of Energy

• Pipeline Act, 2005
• Pipeline Regulation 2006 - 2 Pipeline
• Pipeline Regulation 2006 - 3 Pipeline Filing

Nova Scotia Department of Energy

• Pipeline Act (Energy)
• Pipeline Regulations (Nova Scotia)
• Gas Plant Facility Regulations (listed under the Energy Resources Conservation Act)
• Land Acquisition Regulations
• Pipeline Benefits Plan Regulations
• Sable Offshore Energy Project Regulations (also made under the Energy Resources Conservation Act)

Newfoundland and Labrador Energy Branch

• Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Newfoundland and Labrador Act, Part III - Petroleum Operations

Approval from other regulatory bodies may also be needed depending on the type and ownership of the land which the pipeline crosses.

• Crown Land - Natural Resources Canada must approve timber clearing, disposal and salvage
• Stream, Lake and River Crossings - Environment Canada, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and provincial environment departments must approve plans for water crossings
• Archeological and Historic Sites - Environment Canada and provincial environment departments approve plans for archeological and historic sites crossings

Environmental regulators must also approve plans for top soil stripping, erosion control, land reclamation, re-vegetation and reforestation.

Enforcement

Each regulatory body has the power to inspect pipelines under construction including pipeline construction sites, operating pipelines and facilities, and impose fines and/or shut pipelines down until required remediation is completed.

Transportation Safety Board

Pipeline Occurrence Statistics 2000 to 2005

	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Accidents
Line Pipe
third-party damage with release	0	1	0	1	0	1	1
disturbance of supporting environment with release	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
corrosion/environmental cracking	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
fire/ignition/explosion	1	2	3	1	0	1	0
other damage with release	5	5	4	2	0	0	0
Total	6	10	7	4	0	2	1
Facilities
third-party damage with release	0	1	0	1	0	0	1
disturbance of supporting environment with release	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
corrosion/ environmental cracking	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
fire/ignition/explosion	7	7	6	15	6	3	6
other damage with release	9	3	7	1	1	0	0
Total	16	13	13	17	7	3	7
Incidents
Line Pipe
third-party damage with no release	2	2	2	2	1	0	3
disturbance of supporting environment with no release	0	0	1	0	0	3	0
uncontained release	7	4	3	3	16	18	5
other	2	0	0	0	8	1	3
Total	11	6	6	5	25	22	11
Facilities
third-party damage with no release	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
disturbance of supporting environment with no release	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
uncontained release	25	25	25	29	45	53	51
other	1	3	4	4	4	4	1
Total	26	28	29	33	49	57	52