ARCHIVED – Consultation on Proposed Changes to CER Online Event Reporting Guidelines

Consultation on Proposed Changes to CER Online Event Reporting Guidelines [PDF 334 KB]

Canada Energy Regulator Event Reporting Guidelines – Revised June 2020 [PDF 1134 KB]

27 August 2020

To: All Companies Operating Oil or Gas Pipelines under the Jurisdiction of the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) and Interested Parties

• Consultation on Proposed Changes to CER Online Event Reporting Guidelines

The CER has committed to updating its Online Event Reporting Guidelines (the Guidelines) from time to time to provide greater clarity regarding the CER’s expectations and requirements with respect to event reporting under the legislation and regulations the CER administers. These guidelines contain definitions and guidance for the online reporting of events such as incidents, operations and maintenance notifications, and other similar regulatory reporting requirements.

The CER has completed a draft of its proposed changes and is inviting comment on the changes. The proposed changes are based on internal review of reported events, company feedback, CER data analysis, and the CER’s commitment to continuous improvement. The desired outcome of the changes to the Online Event Reporting Guidelines is to increase clarity of reporting requirements and improve the quality of the data collected from event reporting.

The CER will carefully consider all comments received and revise the Online Event Reporting Guidelines accordingly. The CER anticipates release of an updated Online Event Reporting Guidelines in the fall of 2020.

Major Changes

The proposed changes are in the following sections of the Online Event Reporting Guidelines and are summarized as follows:

Section 5.2 Annual Report Notifications

• Subsection 6.6 (2) of the Canadian Energy Regulator Onshore Pipeline Regulations states “No later than April 30 of each year, the company shall submit to the Regulator a statement, signed by the accountable officer, indicating that it has completed its annual report.” These notification letters will now be collected electronically using a simple document upload procedure.

Section 7.1 Contravention of Canadian Energy Regulator Damage Prevention Regulations Authorizations (DPR-A)

• Updated wording regarding the reporting of Contravention of DPR-A (previously referred to as unauthorized activities).

Section 7.2 Damage to Pipe

• Updated wording and clarification of definitions.

Section 12.6 Contravention of DPR-A

• New requirement within Preliminary Event Report to provide to the CER a narrative that includes a description of the circumstances leading up to the occurrence or discovery and any immediate actions taken to protect the safety of the public, the company’s employees, and/or the environment.
• New Requirement within Detailed Event Report to provide the CER with the root cause of the event, as well as details of the corrective actions and preventive actions taken to prevent future occurrence.

Section 12.7 Damage to Pipe

• Changed from a one-step notification to a two-step event report requiring a Preliminary Event Report and a Detailed Event Report.

Appendix 1: Corrective & Preventive Actions

• Text adjusted from “preventative” to “preventive” to support consistency across CER material. New reference table added providing examples of Tier I and Tier II Preventive Actions.

How to Comment on the Proposed Changes to the Guidelines

Comments on the draft changes may be submitted by CER-regulated companies and other interested parties. Comments must be submitted by three weeks from the date of this letter. Comments must include a reference to this letter; your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address of the name of your organization (if you represent one); and your comments on the proposed changes. Your comments can be filed by using the secretary@cer-rec.gc.ca email address.

Please note that comments and submissions received may be posted on the CER website. By submitting a comment, you are consenting to the CER collecting, using and disclosing the information in your comment, including any personal information. Please read our Terms and Conditions regarding privacy for further information.

Best regards,

Original signed by

Gitane De Silva
Chief Executive Officer

Attachment

Date modified:

2020-11-13