An Act to amend the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (S.C. 2024, c. 20)

62.2 Section 138.02 of the Act is replaced by the following:

• 63 (1) Subsection 138.1(1) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:

  Marginal note:Droit d’accès

  • 138.1 (1) Sous réserve du paragraphe (2), toute personne peut pénétrer dans la zone extracôtière et y exercer les activités autorisées sous le régime de l’alinéa 138(1)b) pour la recherche et l’exploitation de pétrole ou de gaz.

• (2) Subsection 138.1(2) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • Marginal note:Right of entry — offshore renewable energy

    (1.1) Subject to subsection (2), any person may, for the purpose of carrying on an offshore renewable energy project, enter on and use any portion of the offshore area in order to carry on a work or activity authorized under subsection 138.01(1).

  • Marginal note:Right of entry — abandoned facilities

    (1.2) Subject to subsection (2), any person may enter on and use any portion of the offshore area in order to make contact with, alter or remove an abandoned facility if they have been authorized to do so under subsection 183.3(2).

  • Marginal note:Restriction

    (2) If a person occupies a portion of the offshore area under a lawful right or title, other than an authorization under paragraph 138(1)(b) or subsection 138.01(1) or an interest as defined in section 47, no person may enter on or use that portion for a purpose referred to in any of subsections (1) to (1.2) without the consent of the occupier or, if consent has been refused, except in accordance with the terms and conditions imposed by a decision of an arbitrator made in accordance with the regulations.

64 Section 138.2 of the Act is replaced by the following:

65 Section 138.3 of the Act is replaced by the following:

66 Section 139 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (6):

• 67 (1) The portion of subsection 139.1(1) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

  Marginal note:Declaration by applicant — petroleum

  • 139.1 (1) No authorization under paragraph 138(1)(b) shall be issued unless the Regulator has received, from the applicant for the authorization, a declaration in the form fixed by the Regulator that states that

• (2) Subsection 139.1(3) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • Marginal note:Declaration by applicant or holder — offshore renewable energy

    (2) An applicant or holder of an authorization under subsection 138.01(1) shall, prior to a date determined by regulations or, in the absence of regulations, by the Regulator, provide the Regulator with a declaration in the form fixed by it that states that

    • (a) the equipment and facilities that are to be used in the work or activity to be authorized are fit for the purposes for which they are to be used, the operating procedures relating to them are appropriate for those uses, and the personnel who are to be employed in connection with them are qualified and competent for their employment; and

    • (b) the applicant or holder shall ensure, so long as the work or activity that is authorized continues, that the equipment and facilities continue to be fit for the purposes for which they are used, the operating procedures continue to be appropriate for those uses, and the personnel continue to be so qualified and competent.

  • Marginal note:Changes

    (3) If the equipment, an installation, a facility, the operating procedures or any of the personnel specified in a declaration changes and no longer conforms to the declaration, the holder of the authorization that provided the declaration shall provide the Regulator with a new declaration as soon as the circumstances permit after the change occurs.

68 The heading before section 139.2 of the Act is replaced by the following:

• 69 (1) Subsection 140.2(1) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:

  Marginal note:Propriété

  • 140.2 (1) La propriété des hydrocarbures produits au cours d’essais d’écoulement de formation prolongés revient à la personne qui les effectue conformément à une autorisation délivrée en application de l’article 138, aux approbations et conditions dont cette autorisation dépend ou aux règlements, même si elle n’est pas titulaire de la licence de production requise par la partie II.

• (2) Subsection 140.2(3) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • Marginal note:Réserve

    (3) Le présent article ne s’applique qu’aux essais d’écoulement de formation prolongés dont les résultats donnent suffisamment de renseignements pour la détermination du meilleur procédé de récupération pour le réservoir, de la capacité du réservoir ou des limites de productivité de tout puits d’exploitation du réservoir et qui ne mettent pas en danger la récupération finale pour ce réservoir.

70 The heading “Regulation of Operations” before section 149 of the Act is replaced by the following:

• 71 (1) Paragraph 149(1)(a) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • (a) defining, in relation to petroleum-related works or activities, “oil” and “gas” for the purposes of Divisions I and II, “installation” and “equipment” for the purposes of sections 139.1 and 139.2 and “serious” for the purposes of section 165;

• (2) Subparagraph 149(1)(c)(ii) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • (ii) the removal of petroleum from the offshore area, including in relation to the management of access by third parties to existing offshore infrastructure for the purpose of storing, processing and transporting petroleum and in relation to the amounts that may be charged for that access, and

• (3) Paragraph 149(1)(d) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • (d) concerning arbitration relating to petroleum-related works or activities for the purposes of subsection 138.1(2), including the costs of or incurred in relation to such arbitrations;

• (4) Paragraph 149(1)(g) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • (g) prohibiting, in relation to petroleum-related works or activities, the introduction into the environment of substances, classes of substances and forms of energy, in prescribed circumstances;

• (5) Paragraphs 149(1)(h.3) and (i) of the Act are replaced by the following:

  • (h.3) concerning the creation, conservation and production of records relating to petroleum-related works or activities; and

  • (i) prescribing, in relation to petroleum-related works or activities, anything that is required to be prescribed for the purposes of this Part.

72 Section 150 of the Act is repealed.

• 73 (1) Subsection 151.1(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:

  Marginal note:Guidelines and interpretation notes

  • 151.1 (1) The Regulator may issue and publish, in any manner the Regulator considers appropriate, guidelines and interpretation notes with respect to the application and administration of sections 45, 138 and 139 and subsection 163(1.01) and any regulations respecting petroleum-related works or activities made under sections 29.1 and 149.

• (2) Subsection 151.1(2) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:

  • Marginal note:Réputés ne pas être des textes réglementaires

    (2) Les lignes directrices et textes interprétatifs sont réputés ne pas être des textes réglementaires au sens de la Loi sur les textes réglementaires.

74 The heading of Division II of Part III of the Act is replaced by the following:

• 75 (1) The definition unitization order in section 166 of the Act is replaced by the following:

  unitization order

  unitization order means an order made under section 176 or subsection 183.12(1); (arrêté d’union)

• (2) Section 166 of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:

  appropriate authority

  appropriate authority means

  • (a) before the determination of whether a transboundary pool exists is made and, if applicable, its boundaries have been delineated, the authority that is responsible for the jurisdiction

    • (i) adjoining the portion of the perimeter where the drilling took place or where a pool exists, and

    • (ii) into which there is reason to believe that, based on the data obtained from any drilling, the pool extends, and

  • (b) after that determination is made, the authority that is responsible for the jurisdiction into which the pool extends; (organisme de réglementation concerné)

  authority

  authority means the Government of Canada, a government of a province, a foreign government or any of their agencies or a federal-provincial regulatory agency that has administrative responsibility for the exploration and exploitation of petroleum in the area adjoining the perimeter; (organisme de réglementation)

  expert

  expert means a person who is appointed under subsection 183.16(2) and includes an expert panel appointed under subsection 183.16(3) or a person or arbitral tribunal who is appointed in accordance with any applicable treaty referred to under subsection 183.16(9); (expert)

  perimeter

  perimeter, in relation to a pool, means the portion of the offshore area that is within 10 nautical miles of the limit of that offshore area; (bande limitrophe)

  transboundary

  transboundary means extending beyond the Regulator’s jurisdiction under this Act; (transfrontalier)