Canada’s Clean Air ActWhat it is notThe new federal strategy respecting greenhouse gas reduction was finally unveiled on October 19, 2006 with the presentation of Bill C-30 on air quality(1) and the release of the brochure entitled Canada’s Clean Air Act(2). A few days later, on October 21st, the Government published its Notice of Intent which outlines the measures that it intends to develop and implement to reduce air emissions 3) ...
Since the entry into force of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 on 1 January 2005, the general public and those in business seem, by and large, to be well aware of the potential benefits of the legislation. Information covering a plethora of topics has been accessed and used for a huge variety of purposes ...
In November 2005, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks was asked by the Prime Minister and Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson to lead a Review of the Government's energy policy ...
Dramatic changes in global climate have helped to wake up the consciousness of States on the significance of environmental issues in the last fourty years. Before then countries focused their energies on relentless industrial development with little or no attention to its impact on the environment. Scientific evidence has shown that unbridled development leads to loss of environmental capital, sometimes an irreversible phenomenon ...
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”) is accepting comments on a draft guidance document that addresses air quality emissions and regulatory compliance for storage tanks using floating roofs ...
If you are a business owner-leader whose years of hard labour earned him substantial wealth, you certainly wish to maximize the value of the assets that will be transferred to your heirs. You also want such transfer to proceed harmoniously and at the lowest tax cost possible. To achieve these goals, you must start to plan now ...
A record number of companies applied for petroleum licences during the latest and 24th Licensing Round. As a result, it is envisaged that the much-awaited announcement of the successful applicants will kick-start the next phase of the development of the already mature UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) sector ...
This paper was presented at The Canadian Institute’s 2nd Annual Oil & Gas Law Summit Overcoming the Regulatory Challenges and Uncertainties to Keep Your Project on Track on January 22 – 23, 2007 in Calgary, Alberta. Oil and gas exploration in Canada’s North has a long history that dates back to the oil well drilled in Norman Wells in 1920. The North is recognized as holding a significant portion of Canada’s potential for undeveloped oil and gas ...
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 ...
Currently Romania’s market is characterized by the implementation of two seemingly opposite sets of actions, one aimed at ensuring Romania’s transition to the market economy and the achievement of economic growth, while the other is targeting the environmental protection through promotion of energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources for electricity generation ...
The European Commission's January report on the energy sector competition made uncomfortable reading for the European Union's Council of Energy Ministers, who were presented with it in February and considered its proposals at the EU summit in March.The clear message from the Commission is gas and electricity is too expensive ...
In this article, the authors address state-level law on water use and its possible effect on land use decisions. They then examine how federal water-related laws are increasingly impacting land use. Land use regulation, particularly zoning, has traditionally been considered a matter to be handled not by state or federal government but by local government— towns and counties ...
Several of the currently producing oil fields in the United States have been producing for approximately one hundred years while many other fields have long since ceased production having reached the end of their economic life. As the domestic oil and gas industry matures and many of the once productive fields become depleted, the industry faces what is arguably its most significant challenge ...
Since we are in the season for the distribution of dividends, it is not without use to review and update, our last charter on this issue. It shall be recalled that in 2005 the Portuguese tax system streamlined its rules for the taxation of dividends, by harmonising rates which previously varied in accordance to the nature of the recipient of the dividends ...
On 16 March 2007, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Enterprise Income Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China. The Law harmonises the tax laws applicable to foreign and domestic enterprises. The new law marks a major change in PRC tax policy. Effective 1 January 2008, both domestic enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) will be subject to income tax at the unified rate of 25% ...
The State Administration of Taxation issued the Measures on the Self- Declaration of Personal Income Tax (Trial Implementation) on 6 November 2006. The Measures cover the filing process for those who satisfy one of the following conditions:1. Annual income of 120,000RMB or more; 2. Wages or stipends earned from two or more sources within China; 3. Income earned outside China; 4. Any acquired taxable income without withholding; 5 ...
On 27 November 2006, the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation jointly issued the Notice Regarding Several Stamp Tax Policies. The Notice states that:1. Stamp tax will be levied on contracts submitted electronically. 2. Stamp tax will be levied on purchase and sale contracts between power plants and power grid networks and on those between two power grid networks ...
The Federal Court of Canada recently released its decision in Ahousaht First Nation v. Canada (Fisheries and Oceans)(1). The case considered an application by 14 First Nations represented by the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (“NTC”) for judicial review of a decision of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans regarding the implementation of a commercial groundfish pilot plan on the British Columbia coast (the “Pilot Plan”) ...
The Environmental Liability Directive aims to establish a common framework of environmental liability across the EU to prevent and remedy certain types of environmental damage. The framework is based on the “polluter pays principle”. The implementation date for member states was 30 April 2007. Ireland has not complied with this transposition date and will not have transposed it as a current estimate until early 2008 ...
The European Commission has published its report outlining its proposed changes to the European energy market.In order to open the continent's gas and electricity markets up to greater competition, the Commission has proposed the separation of energy suppliers and producers, a move which would see the break up of firms such as E.ON and Electricite de France ...
The global biofuels industry needs to be better regulated to ensure it does not harm the environment, the UK's climate change minister has stated.Speaking at a recent conference organised by Britain's Renewable Eneregy Association, Phil Woolas MP cited several studies which have shown that biofuel production has led to deforestation and increased house prices in some areas of the world, most notably across Asia ...
Ofgem announced last week that it is delaying its decision on proposals relating to transmission losses. The gas and electricity market regulator's previous statement that it favours one of several proposals before it on this subject has caused considerable consternation among commentators in Scotland ...
The Current Mineral Licensing Regime in Nigeria
DEALING WITH MINING LEGACY – SOME CANADIAN APPROACHES(1)1. INTRODUCTIONIn this paper we discuss approaches that have been used in Canada to identify and foster private sector, public and aboriginal participation in dealing with mining environmental liabilities and orphan sites(2) ...
In this long running case, the Court of Appeal has granted Dwr Cymru (on 26 July) leave to appeal the Competition Appeal Tribunal's (the CAT) finding that Dwr Cymru had abused its dominant position by setting an access charge that resulted in a margin squeeze on Albion Water (Albion). The Court of Appeal is due to hear the case later this year ...
