The Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources
and Forestry (NDMNRF) recently sought feedback on a discussion
paper exploring possible legislative changes to remove barriers to
the geologic storage of carbon dioxide.
On Jan. 11, 2022, the NDMNRF filed a proposal (the Proposal) on
the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) website to gather input
from stakeholders. The Proposal aims to narrow the prohibitions
under the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources
Act (the Act) and the Mining Act that relate to the
storage of carbon dioxide generated through processes such as
electricity generation, or as a by-product of creating hydrogen
from methane.
Background
Under the Act, NDMNRF regulates the drilling and operation of
wells and related equipment used for the exploration and production
of oil, natural gas, salt solution mining, the underground storage
of hydrocarbons and compressed air energy storage projects using
salt caverns. These activities tend to take