The National Energy Board’s Revised Onshore Pipeline Regulations OPR-99

On 1 August 1999 a revised version of the National Energy Board’s (NEB) Onshore Pipeline Regulations came into effect. The NEB undertook the development of the Onshore Pipeline Regulations, 1999 (OPR-99) [1] with the view that regulations should be less prescriptive and more goal-oriented. The shift to goal-oriented regulations gives companies more discretion in the selection of the methods employed to meet NEB requirements. The onus is on each company to demonstrate the adequacy and effectiveness of the methods used.

This paper describes the changes to the NEB’s approach to regulation and reports on the issues identified since OPR-99 came into force.