The Province’s new Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act (GGIRCA) comes into force today, ensuring LNG facilities in British Columbia will have an emissions cap making them the cleanest in the world.

The new act combines several pieces of existing greenhouse gas legislation into a single legislative framework.

The act includes the ability to set a greenhouse gas emissions intensity benchmark for regulated industries, including LNG facilities. This benchmark can be met using flexible options that act as incentives to invest in emission reduction projects for natural gas and other sectors around the province. Options can include purchasing offsets or paying a set price per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions that would be dedicated to a technology fund.

Three regulations necessary to implement the act also are now in effect:

• the greenhouse gas emission reporting regulation;
• the greenhouse gas emission administrative penalties and appeals regulation; and
• the greenhouse gas emission control regulation.

These three regulations were developed with public and stakeholder input. View a summary of the comments received here: http://ow.ly/VRyPO

Quote:

Mary Polak, Minister of Environment –

“Enacting the Greenhouse Gas Industrial Reporting and Control Act brings about clarity and consolidates many important pieces of our GHG legislation. The act upholds commitments we made to industry and enables First Nations and others to develop offsets under the new system, while supporting our new #BCTECH Strategy.”

“The greenhouse gas emissions cap we have placed on our LNG facilities will make B.C.’s LNG the cleanest in the world. This is yet another example of our international leadership on climate action.”

Quick Facts:

• The greenhouse gas emission reporting regulation replaces the existing industrial reporting regulation, and adds compliance reporting requirements, including specific requirements for LNG operations. Industrial operations will continue to report GHG emissions as they have since 2010.
• The greenhouse gas emission administrative penalties and appeals regulation establishes the process for when, how much, and under what conditions administrative penalties may be levied for non-compliance with the act or regulations.
• The greenhouse gas emission control regulation establishes the BC Carbon Registry, and sets criteria for developing emission offsets issued by the Province. The regulation also establishes the price of $25 for funded units issued under the act that would go toward a technology fund. Regulated operations, such as LNG operations, will purchase offsets from the market or funded units from government to meet emission limits.

Learn More:

For more information about GGIRCA, and other pieces of climate legislation, visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/policy-legislation-programs/legislation-regulations

Learn more about B.C.’s climate actions: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change

Learn more about the #BCTECH Strategy: http://bctechstrategy.gov.bc.ca/

Watch for a second round of public consultation in the development of the next phase of B.C.’s Climate Leadership Plan in January 2016. Learn more about the plan here: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/climateleadership