On February 1, 2021, new reporting requirements in British Columbia will apply to owners and operators of lands that have been used for specified commercial and industrial uses. These reporting requirements will also trigger environmental investigation requirements to determine whether or not the lands are contaminated. While the B.C ...
In his September address to the Union of B.C. Municipalities, the Premier announced that the Western Climate Initiative is working collaboratively to develop a cap and trade system by next August. British Columbia will also require hard caps on GHG emissions from all heavy emitters in B.C. All ministries and Crown agencies will be legally required to be carbon neutral by 2010 – “no ifs, ands or buts” ...
Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation (the “Job Creation Law” or known as the Omnibus Law) was issued and came into effect on 2 November 2020. It is mainly based on the principles of the equalization of rights, legal certainty, greater ease of doing business, togetherness, and independence ...
In the last edition of The Site Report, we discussed the legal issues surrounding the damage caused by Skanska's construction barges to the new Pensacola Bay Bridge ("Bridge") between Pensacola, Florida and Gulf Breeze, Florida during Hurricane Sally ...
What follows is a cautionary tale for anyone involved who fails to follow a natural disaster preparedness plan. Taking short cuts and failing to follow agreed upon emergency preparedness plans are a recipe for disaster. While the litigation we analyze in this article stems from bridge construction in Florida, the lessons learned from this real situation are applicable all across the country ...
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Theresa May said the government wanted to, “secure broad energy cooperation with the EU”, including by, “exploring options for the UK’s continued participation in the EU’s internal energy market” ...
The Brazilian Ministry for Mines and Energy has issued Ordinance No. 653, which outlines the procedures for the A-5 Power Bid to be held on April 30, 2015. The bid will auction Regulated Market Energy Commercialization Contracts (CCEAR) to be negotiated on two fronts: (i) Quantity for hydroelectric power plants, and (ii) Availability for coal-fired plants, natural gas-fired combined cycle plants and biomass ...
On July 4, Board of Directors Resolution No. 00010-2020-OEFA/CD adopted the Regulation of the Electronic Box System of the Agency for Environmental Assessment and Enforcement (OEFA), regulating, among other aspects, the following: Mandatory use of the electronic box system to take notice of administrative acts and proceedings issued by the OEFA ...
Blockchain is a distributed ledger of data entries. The entries are processed and managed by a series of different computers, or ‘nodes’, which can be running on different servers. Every computer connected to the system keeps a copy of this ledger, meaning that different parties can view and manage the same information in real time. It also makes it exceptionally safe and secure. The energy sector has been relatively slow to adopt blockchain technology ...
On August 29, 2017, the Mexican Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público) grantedCentral de Corretajes(“CENCOR”) a new concession to operate a new stock exchange in Mexico. This new stock exchange will be calledBolsa Institucional de Valores(“BIVA”). It is anticipated that BIVA will initiate operations in early 2018 ...
The new biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements are set to come into force from November 2023. This will legally mandate securing a minimum 10 per cent biodiversity net gain from new commercial and residential developments in England, with a few exceptions. While the requirements - part of the Environment Act 2021 – will have financial and operational implications, the real estate industry has had several years to prepare for BNG ...
Incoming Call ChargesIn February 2003 the Ukrainian Parliament overruled President Kuchma's December 2002 veto against an amendment to Article 12 of the Communications Law 1995. The amendment prohibits all telecommunications operators from charging their customers for incoming calls. On March 13 2003 the president duly signed the amendment, which will come into effect six months after its official publication (ie, on September 18 2003) ...
OBVIOUSLY, AS REGARDS THE MINING INDUSTRY, QUÉBEC WILL NOT BE THE ONLY JURISDICTION IN WHICH ACTION IS EXPECTED AFTER THE SUMMER BREAK. WHILE THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION CONTINUES REVIEWING BILL 79 AMENDING THE MINING ACT (QUÉBEC)(1), OTTAWA IS NOT OUTDONE AS THE HOUSE OF COMONS MUST PROCEED WITH THE THIRD READING OF BILL C-300 (THE “BILL”) ENTITLED: CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY OF MINING, OIL AND GAS CORPORATIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ACT ...
On January 25, 2021, President Biden signed the Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers (Made in America) Executive Order, which not only directs that federal government purchases and procurement go to American businesses and workers, but also calls out the Jones Act for specifically endorsing the nation’s vessels, ports, and merchant crews ...
Earlier this year I wrote about a court challenge being made by the rewilding charity Trees for Life against NatureScot, challenging the issue of licences to kill beavers. This followed the release of information by NatureScot reporting that, during 2019, 87 beavers were killed and 15 were live trapped under licences that it had issued to farmers and landowners ...
On March 15, 2007 BC Hydro filed its first general rate design application in 16 years (after a lengthy government imposed rate freeze that ended in 2003, an enquiry into the allocation of the benefits of BC Hydro’s low-cost Heritage Resources, two revenue requirements proceedings and its first comprehensive longterm resource planning review in this year) ...
On February 27 British Columbia issued “The BC Energy Plan: A Vision for Clean Energy Leadership” (Energy Plan 2007). The document is an extensive statement of provincial energy policy, and a roadmap for future government action in BC’s energy sector ...
On May 28, 2021, Exempt Resolution No. 310, dated April 16, 2021 of the Ministry of the Environment was published in the Official Gazette. By means of such resolution, the Ministry of the Environment initiates the process of drafting the Supreme Decree that will set forth collection and recovery goals and other related obligations for batteries and electrical and electronic devices. Regulated priority products: "Batteries" and "Electrical and Electronic devices" ...
On February 1, 2021, amendments to B.C.’s Environmental Management Act will come into effect that will introduce new reporting requirements in relation to lands that have been used for specified commercial or industrial uses (the Stage 13 Amendments) ...
Throughout the United States and globally there is an undisputed trend towards renewable energy as much of the world seeks to decarbonize in response to the risks of climate change. As the article, “Clean energy investment is now nearly 2x that of fossil fuels – here’s why,” from Electrek notes, as of 2023, for every $1 spent on fossil fuels globally, now more than $1.70 is spent investing in clean energy, a ratio that was 1:1 just five years ago ...
On October 4, 2010, the British Columbia Oil and Gas Activities Act(1) (“OGAA”) came into force. The OGAA represents a significant change to the legal regime for oil and gas activities in British Columbia, and will have immediate consequences for conventional oil and gas producers, shale gas producers, and other operators of oil and gas facilities in the province ...
B.C. Environment Minister Terry Lake and Energy, Mines and Natural Gas Minister Rich Coleman refused to issue an Environmental Assessment Certificate (“EAC”) to Pacific Booker Minerals Inc. for its proposed Morrison Copper/Gold Mine project near Smithers, at the headwaters of the Skeena River ...
Changes to the rules relating to the use of red diesel will come into effect from April 1 2022 as a result of amendments to the Hydro Carbon Oil Duties Act 1979. The new rules set out a list of “excepted machines” which are allowed to use red diesel. A vehicle that is used for a purpose related to agriculture, aquatic farming, horticulture and forestry is allowed to use red diesel and can be used on the public road if the use is for one of those purposes ...
What does 2021 hold for investors in Australian renewables? We ask 100 Australian and overseas investors in the renewable energy sector for their insights. We compare our findings today to those from 2019. This report explores the current trends shaping the Australian renewable energy market, in addition to the main drivers behind deals, opportunity sectors and challenges facing investors ...
