The Ontario Ministry of the Environment is seeking comments on proposed amendments to the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Reporting Regulation (O. Reg. 452/09) and Guideline that would simplify the reporting requirements, align them with those in other Western Climate Initiative (WCI) jurisdictions, and provide greater encouragement for combustion of biomass. See EBR Registry Number: 011-0209.
The amendments would simplify the regulation by:
- removing limits on the amount of emissions from the combustion of biomass that can be omitted from a facility’s determination of whether it exceeds the 25,000 tonnes GHG emission reporting threshold; and
- clarifying the submission of verification statement by verifiers to facilities.
To harmonize with other WCI jurisdictions, proposed amendments to the regulation and incorporated guideline also include:
- adding a new greenhouse gas (nitrogen trifluoride) to the program;
- providing additional powers for the Director to request historical emission data that facilities have already submitted to the federal government; and
- reflecting changes in calculation methods (in the guideline) to align with changes proposed under the Western Climate Initiative.
Comments are welcome until October 25.