Prairie Resilience relies upon several pieces of provincial legislation and regulation:
The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Act
The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Act was partially proclaimed in January 2018 to provide authority for electricity and reporting regulations. An amended Act was proclaimed in full in December 2018, which provided the authorities for the output-based emissions management framework, including compliance options such as the technology fund.
The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (General and Electricity Producer) Regulations
Effective January 1, 2018, these regulations on coal-fired electricity are a step toward an equivalency agreement with the federal government. Under an equivalency agreement, the Government of Canada would accept that Saskatchewan meets or exceeds federal standards, enabling the province to regulate its own emissions from SaskPower's fleet of coal-fired power plants.
The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (Reporting and General) Regulations
In effect on September 1, 2018, the regulations obligate any provincial facility that emits more than 10,000 tonnes per year to report those emissions.
The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (Standards and Compliance) Regulations, 2023
The regulations provide parameters for mandatory greenhouse gas reductions through output-based performance standards for industry, along with compliance options. The regulations replace the regulations of the same name that were repealed effective retroactive to January 1, 2023.
*For additional information, see Guidance for Emitters.
The following standards are to be used by regulated emitters for 2023 and subsequent compliance years:
- The Industrial Facility Standard
- The Electricity Facility Standard
- The Aggregate Facility Standard
- The Performance Credit Standard
- The Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Credit Standard
The following standards are only to be used by regulated emitters for 2022 and previous compliance years:
- The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (Baselines, Returns and Verification) Standard
- The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (Upstream Oil and Gas Aggregate Facility) Standard
- The Management and Reduction of Greenhouse Gases (Performance Credit) Standard
The Oil and Gas Conservation Amendment Act
Government introduced Bill 147 – The Oil and Gas Conservation Amendment Act in November 2018 to facilitate emissions regulations in the oil and gas sector.
The Oil and Gas Emissions Management Regulations
The regulation of flared and vented methane emissions in the upstream oil and gas sector will lead to annual emission reductions of 40 to 45 per cent by 2025.