National Energy Board first North American regulator to require comprehensive publicly-available emergency procedures manuals

National Energy Board orders pipeline companies to publish Emergency Procedures Manuals online

Calgary, April 5, 2016 /CNW/ - The National Energy Board (NEB) is the first North American regulator to require pipeline companies to publish their emergency procedures manuals online. The NEB has issued a Board Order that directs NEB-regulated pipeline companies to publish their emergency procedures manuals online for public viewing by September 30, 2016.

Companies are required to publish all emergency procedure manual information online, with the exception of information that would compromise infrastructure protection and personal security and safety.  Although excluded from online availability, they remain in company emergency procedures manuals provided to first responders and to the NEB.

The Order reflects the NEB's continued commitment to openness and transparency regarding regulatory operations that protect public safety and the environment.

Highlights of the Board Order MO-006-2016:

• This Order applies to both oil and gas pipeline systems with a few exceptions for small systems.
• Companies must post the entirety of their emergency procedures manuals on their company's public internet site except companies may protect information including:
  • personal information, such as names, medical and contact information;
  • security information such as information where there is a risk that its disclosure will impair the security of a pipeline; and
  • species at risk and heritage resources information such as the location of Indigenous traditional land use sites, archaeological sites or paleontological sites.
• Update published emergency procedures manuals as changes are made.

Quote:  "The NEB continues to set a very high bar for transparency and openness. Canadians deserve to have this important information. They also deserve to know that the NEB provides strict regulatory oversight of pipeline safety and environmental protection through the entire life of every NEB-regulated pipeline." – NEB Chair and CEO Peter Watson.

Associated Links:
NEB Board Order

Quick Facts:

• The NEB received 35 submissions during the emergency management information transparency public consultation.  
• There was broad support for making emergency procedures manual information publicly available.
• Every year, the NEB oversees and evaluates at least 12 full scale emergency response exercises that test a company's emergency response plan. Evaluations of these exercises are now available on the NEB's web site.
• On February 11, 2016, the NEB announced that all emergency response exercise evaluations will be posted publicly on the NEB web site.

The National Energy Board is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada's energy industry with the safety of Canadians and protection of the environment as its top priority. Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest. For more information on the NEB and its mandate, please visit www.neb-one.gc.ca.

SOURCE National Energy Board

Darin Barter, Communications, National Energy Board, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]