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FRONTIER AND OFFSHORE REGULATORY RENEWAL INITIATIVE (FORRI) - PHASE 2

PROPOSED POLICY INTENTIONS FOR PHASE 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK REGULATIONS

Government of Canada
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
Government of Nova Scotia

June 14, 2016

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Frontier and Offshore Regulatory Renewal Initiative (FORRI) aims to modernize the regulatory framework governing oil and gas activities in Canada's frontier and offshore oil and gas areas. It is a partnership of federal and provincial government departments and includes participation of the Boards responsible for the regulation of frontier and offshore oil and gas activities.

The objective of FORRI is to modernize the regulatory framework by:

  • Reducing redundancy amongst multiple regulations;
  • Bringing standards up to date;
  • Moving, where possible, to performance-based requirements instead of prescribing specific technologies/approaches; and,
  • Ensuring an efficient and effective regulatory regime.

Modernizing the regulations governing frontier and offshore oil and gas activities will contribute to maintaining Canada’s high standards for safety, environmental protection and resource management.

This regulatory framework applies to companies and/or individuals that propose to, or have been authorized to, carry out activities related to the exploration and drilling for, and the production, conservation, processing and transportation of oil and gas in Canada’s frontier and offshore areas. These activities include geophysical operations (such as seismic activities), exploration and development drilling, and the construction, certification, and operation of production facilities.

The Framework Regulations

Through FORRI, government partners will work to modernize the following five regulations, and integrate these into new Framework Regulations:

  • Drilling and Production Regulations (2009)
  • Geophysical Regulations
  • Certificate of Fitness Regulations
  • Operations Regulations
  • Installation Regulations

Framework Regulations Consultation Process

FORRI will consult with stakeholders, Indigenous groups (utilizing separate meetings where necessary) and the public at various stages:

  • Policy intent: one-day, multi-stakeholder consultation sessions on proposed policy intention followed by a written comment period (materials to be shared two weeks in advance)
    • Anticipated March 2016 February 2017
  • Draft regulation: one-day, multi-stakeholder consultation session on draft regulatory text followed by a 30-day written comment period (materials to be shared two weeks in advance)
    • Anticipated Fall 2017
  • Pre-publication: Canada Gazette I pre-publication on draft Framework Regulations followed by a 30-day comment period
    • Anticipated Spring 2018
  • Final publication: Canada Gazette II publication of final Framework Regulations at least 90 days prior to entry into force
    • Anticipated Fall 2018

Framework Regulations Consultation Process for the Policy Intent

The development of the policy intent for the existing regulations will occur in three phases:

  • Phase 1 Board Powers, Applications, Management Systems and Operator Duties
  • Phase 2 Reporting and Resource Management
    • Pertains to this document, and this phase of the consultation process, commencing June 2016
    • Written feedback due to governments by August 15, 2016
  • Phase 3 Installations and Operations
    • Stakeholder consultation commences December 2017 (TBC)

Next Steps Phase 2

This document outlines the proposed policy intent for Phase 2 of the Framework Regulations, specifically focusing on Reporting and Resources Management.

Following receipt of this document, stakeholders are invited to a consultation session on June 28, 2016 in Ottawa, ON, where governments and stakeholders can discuss the various elements of the draft policy intent.

Stakeholders are invited to provide written comments on this policy intent document by August 30, 2016 to Cheryl McNeil (Cheryl.mcneil@canada.ca). For transparency, stakeholder comments will be posted on the FORRI web page: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/crude-petroleum/17729.

Following the receipt of written comments, governments will consider the feedback received, prior to submitting the policy intent for regulatory drafting. Governments will respond to stakeholders following receipt and analysis of written feedback.

PROPOSED POLICY INTENTIONS FOR PHASE 2 OF THE FRAMEWORK REGULATIONS

PART 10 EVALUATION OF WELLS, POOLS AND FIELDS

DEFINITIONS

“Good Oil Field Practices” means those practices, methods, standards and procedures generally accepted and followed by prudent, diligent, skilled and experienced operators in petroleum exploration, development and production operations.

10.1 GENERAL

The operator shall ensure that the well data acquisition program and the field data acquisition program (set out in section 3.7 of Phase I) are implemented in accordance with good oilfield practices.

10.2 APPROVAL OF ALTERNATIVE MEASURES

  1. If part of the well or field data acquisition program cannot be implemented, the operator shall ensure that
    1. a conservation officer is notified as soon as the circumstances permit; and
    2. if a development well is subjected to a well operation that might change its deliverability, productivity or injectivity, a formation flow test is conducted after the well operation is ended and the flow or injection conditions have stabilized to determine the effects of that operation on the well’s deliverability, productivity or injectivity.
  2. If the operator can demonstrate that the measures submitted under (1)(b) can achieve the goals of the well or field data acquisition program or are all that can be expected in the circumstances, the Board shall approve those measures.

10.3 FORMATION TESTING AND SAMPLING

The operator shall ensure that every formation in a well is tested and sampled to obtain reservoir pressure data and fluid samples from the formation, if the Board believes that the data or samples would contribute to the geological and reservoir evaluation.

10.4 FORMATION FLOW TESTING

  1. The operator shall ensure that
    1. no development well is put into production unless a formation flow test has been approved by the Board and has been subsequently carried out in accordance with the approval; and
    2. if a development well is subjected to a well operation that might change its deliverability, productivity or injectivity, a formation flow test is conducted after the well operation is ended and the flow or injection conditions have stabilized to determine the effects of that operation on the well’s deliverability, productivity or injectivity.
  2. The operator may conduct a formation flow test on a well drilled on a geological feature if, before conducting that test, the operator
    1. submits to the Board a detailed testing program; and
    2. obtains the Board’s approval to conduct the test.
  3. The Board may require that the operator conduct a formation flow test on a well drilled on a geological feature, other than the first well, if the Board believes that the test would contribute to the geological and reservoir evaluation.
  4. The Board shall approve a formation flow test if the operator demonstrates that the test will be conducted safely, without pollution and in accordance with good oilfield practices and that the test will enable the operator to
    1. obtain data on the deliverability of the reservoir and productivity of the well;
    2. establish the characteristics of the reservoir; and
    3. obtain representative samples of the formation fluids.

10.5 SUBMISSION OF SAMPLES AND DATA

  1. The operator shall ensure that all cutting samples, fluid samples and all cores collected as part of the well and field data acquisition programs are
    1. transported and stored in a manner that prevents any loss or deterioration
    2. delivered to the Board within 60 days after the well termination date unless analyses are ongoing, in which case those samples and cores, or the remaining parts, are to be delivered on completion of the analyses; and
    3. stored in durable containers properly labelled for identification.
  2. The operator shall ensure that after any samples necessary for analysis or for research or academic studies have been removed from a conventional core, the remaining core, or a longitudinal slab that is not less than one half of the cross-sectional area of that core, is provided to the Board.
  3. The operator shall ensure that after any samples necessary for analysis or for research or academic studies have been removed from a sidewall core, the remaining core is provided to the Board.
  4. Before disposing of cutting samples, fluid samples, cores or evaluation data collected under these Regulations, the operator shall ensure that the Board is notified in writing and is given an opportunity to request delivery of the samples, cores or data.

PART 11 - MEASUREMENTS

11.1 FLOW AND VOLUME

  1. Unless otherwise included in the approval issued under clause 3.3 (Phase I), the operator shall ensure that the rate of flow and the volume of the following are measured and recorded:
    1. the fluid that is produced from each well;
    2. any fluid or waste material that is injected into each well; and
    3. the manner in which fluids are disposed of, [including through venting, burning, flaring, and transportation for processing whether through offloading or pipeline] and;
    4. the quantity of disposed fluids.
  2. The operator shall ensure that any measurements are conducted in accordance with the flow system, flow calculation procedure and flow allocation procedure, approved under clause 3.3 (Phase I).
  3. The operator shall ensure that group production of oil, water and gas from wells and injection of a fluid into wells is allocated on a pro rata basis, in accordance with the flow system, flow calculation procedure and flow allocation procedure approved under clause 3.3 (Phase I).
  4. If a well is completed over multiple pools or zones, the operator shall ensure that production or injection volumes for the well are allocated on a pro rata basis to the pools or zones in accordance with the flow allocation procedure approved under clause 3.3 (Phase I).

11.2 TESTING, MAINTENANCE AND NOTIFICATION

  1. The operator shall ensure
    1. that meters and associated equipment in the flow system are calibrated and maintained to ensure their continued accuracy;
    2. that equipment used to calibrate the flow system is calibrated in accordance with good measurement practices;
    3. that any component of the flow system that may have an impact on the accuracy or integrity of the flow system and that is not functioning in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications is repaired or replaced without delay, or, if it is not possible to do so without delay, corrective measures are taken to minimize the impact on the accuracy and integrity of the flow system while the repair or replacement is proceeding; and
    4. that a conservation officer is notified, as soon as the circumstances permit, of any modification, malfunction or failure of any flow system component that may have an impact on the accuracy of the flow system and of the corrective measures taken.

11.3 TRANSFER METERS

  1. The operator shall ensure that
    1. a conservation officer is notified at least 30 days before the day on which any transfer meter prover or master meter used in conjunction with a transfer meter is calibrated; and
    2. a copy of the calibration certificate is provided to the Chief Conservation Officer as soon as the circumstances permit, following completion of the calibration.

11.4 PRORATION TESTING FREQUENCY

The operator of a development well that is producing oil or gas shall ensure that sufficient proration tests are performed to permit accurate determination of the allocation of oil, gas and water production on a pool and zone basis.

PART 12 PRODUCTION CONSERVATION

12.1 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

  1. The operator shall ensure that
    1. recovery from a pool or zone is maximized in accordance with good oilfield practices;
    2. wells are located and operated to provide for maximum recovery from a pool or zone; and
    3. if there is reason to believe that infill drilling or implementation of an enhanced recovery scheme might result in increased recovery from a pool or field, studies on these methods are carried out and provided to the Board.

12.2 COMMINGLED PRODUCTION

  1. No operator shall engage in commingled production except in accordance with the approval granted under subsection (2).
  2. The Board shall approve the commingled production if the operator demonstrates that it would not reduce the recovery from each pool or zone.
  3. The operator engaging in commingled production shall ensure that the total volume and the rate of production of each fluid produced is measured and the volume from each pool or zone is allocated in accordance with the requirements of Part 11.

12.3 GAS FLARING AND VENTING

  1. No operator shall flare or vent gas unless
    1. it is permitted in the approval issued under subsection 10.4(4);
    2. the Board specifically authorizes flaring as part of the authorization issued under (the relevant sections of the Acts); or
    3. it is necessary to do so because of an emergency situation and the Board is notified as soon as the circumstances permit, of the flaring or venting and of the amount flared or vented.

12.4 OIL BURNING

  1. No operator shall burn oil unless
    1. it is permitted in the approval issued under subsection 10.4(4);
    2. the Board specifically authorizes burning as part of the authorization issued under (the relevant sections of the Acts); or
    3. it is necessary to do so because of an emergency situation and the Board is notified as soon as the circumstances permit, of the burning and the amount burned.

PART 13 TERMINATIONS AND DECOMMISSIONNING

13.1 SUSPENSION OR ABANDONMENT OF A WELL

  1. The operator shall ensure that every well that is suspended or abandoned is left in a condition that
    1. provides for isolation of all oil or gas bearing zones and discrete pressure zones; and, in the case of an onshore well, groundwater (COGOA onshore only);
    2. prevents any formation fluid from flowing through or escaping from the well-bore; and
    3. ensures it can be readily located.
  2. The operator shall verify the isolation of all oil and gas bearing zones and discrete pressure zones (in the case of an onshore well, groundwater) prior to suspending or abandoning the well.
  3. The means to verify the isolation of zones required by paragraph (a) is to be provided as part of the application for well approval for the suspension or abandonment of a zone or well. (This will be included in the policy intentions for Part 3 Applications that was presented during Phase I).
  4. The operator of a suspended well shall ensure that the well is monitored and inspected to maintain its continued integrity and to prevent pollution.
  5. The operator shall ensure that, on the abandonment of any offshore well, the seafloor is cleared of any material or equipment that might interfere with navigation or other uses of the sea, or have an adverse effect on the marine environment. (COGOA onshore only)
  6. The operator shall ensure that, on the abandonment of any onshore well, the well is left in a condition that protects groundwater and prevent any adverse effect on the environment.

13.2 REMOVAL OF DRILLING INSTALLATIONS

No operator shall remove or cause to have removed a drilling installation from a well drilled unless the well has been terminated in accordance with these Regulations.

PART 14 SUBMISSIONS, NOTIFICATIONS, RECORDS AND REPORTS

DEFINITIONS

“abandoned,” in relation to a well, means a well or part of a well that has been permanently plugged

“commenced” in relation to a geoscience, geotechnical or environmental program, means when the authorized activities related to the project have started

“completed” in relation to a well, means a well that is prepared for production or injection operations

“completed” in relation to a geoscience, geotechnical or environmental program, means when the authorized activities have concluded

“completion interval” means a section within a well that is prepared to permit the

  1. production of fluids from the well;
  2. observation of the performance of the reservoir; or
  3. injection of fluids into the well.

“cancelled” in relation to a geoscience, geotechnical or environmental program, means the operator no longer intends to undertake the authorized work or activity

“non-productive time” in relation to a geoscience, geotechnical or environmental program, means any period of time where data acquisition is delayed or interrupted for any reason

“suspended” in relation to a geoscience, geotechnical or environmental program, means the activities associated with the program have temporarily ceased

“suspended”, in relation to a well or part of a well, means a well or part of a well in which drilling or production operations have temporarily ceased

“termination” means when a well has been abandoned, completed or suspended

“well operation” means the operation of drilling, completion, recompletion, intervention, workover, suspension or abandonment of a well

“workover” means an operation on a completed well that requires removal of the Christmas tree or the tubing

14.1 REFERENCE TO NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS

When submitting any information for the purposes of these Regulations, the operator or the operator’s representative shall refer to each well, pool, and field by the name given to it under Clauses 1.1 and 1.2 (Phase I), or if a zone, by its designation under Clause 1.2 (Phase I).

14.2 LOCATION SURVEYS

  1. The operator shall ensure that a survey is used to confirm the location of a well and the location of a production installation.
  2. The operator shall ensure that
    1. the survey is certified by a person licensed under the Canada Lands Surveyors Act, and
    2. a copy of the survey plan filed with the Canada Lands Survey Records is provided to the Board.

14.3 SUBMISSION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS

  1. The operator shall ensure that a final copy of the results, data, analyses and schematics obtained from the following sources is provided to the Board:
    1. testing, sampling and pressure surveys carried out as part of the well and field data acquisition programs referred to in Clause 10.1 and testing and sampling of formations referred to in Clause 10.3; and
    2. any segregation test or well operation.
  2. Unless otherwise indicated in these Regulations, the operator shall ensure that the results, data, analyses and schematics are provided within 60 days after the day on which any activity referred to in paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) is completed.

14.4 MANAGEMENT OF, AND ACCESSIBILITY TO, RECORDS

The operator shall ensure that records necessary to support operational and regulatory requirements are readily accessible for inspection by the Board.

14.5 RECORDS

  1. The operator shall ensure that records are kept of
    1. the location and movement of support craft;
    2. emergency drills and exercises, incidents, near-misses;
    3. the quantities of consumable substances on the installation or at the operations site;
    4. other information critical to safety or the protection of the environment;
    5. all inspection, maintenance and operating activities, including any activity that may be critical to the safety on the installation or operations site,
    6. the protection of the environment or the prevention of waste;
    7. in the case of an installation,
      1. the inspection of the installation and related equipment for corrosion and erosion and any resulting maintenance carried out,
      2. the pressure, temperature and flow rate data for compressors and treating and processing facilities;
      3. the calibration of meters and instruments;
      4. the testing of surface, subsea and subsurface safety valves;
      5. the status of each well and the status of well operations; and
      6. the status of the equipment and systems critical to safety and protection of the environment including any unsuccessful test result or equipment failure leading to an impairment of the systems;
    8. in the case of a floating installation,
      1. all installation movements, data, observations, measurements and calculations related to the stability and station-keeping capability of the installation;
      2. results of every test and analysis conducted pertaining to its stability and station-keeping capability; and
      3. every change in weight or position of weight on the platform that may affect the stability of the platform.

14.6 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS

  1. The operator of an offshore (“offshore” only for COGOA version) installation or operations site shall ensure
    1. that a comprehensive record of observations of physical environmental conditions is maintained onboard/at the installation or at the operations site; and
    2. that forecasts of meteorological conditions, sea states and ice movements are obtained and recorded each day and each time during the day that they change substantially from those forecasted.

14.7 INCIDENTS AND NEAR MISSES NOTIFICATION

The operator shall notify the Board of any incident or near-miss as soon as the circumstances permit.

14.8 INCIDENT AND NEAR MISSES INVESTIGATION

  1. The operator shall ensure that
    1. any incident or near-miss is investigated, its root cause and causal factors identified and corrective action taken; and
    2. at the request of a safety or conservation officer, a copy of an investigation report identifying the root cause, causal factors and corrective action taken is provided to the Board no later than 21 days after the day on which officer made their request.

14.9 NOTIFICATION OF COMMENCEMENT, COMPLETION, TERMINATION OR CANCELLATION

  1. The operator shall immediately notify the Board in writing when a geoscientific, geotechnical or environmental program
    1. commences,
    2. is completed, and
    3. is terminated or cancelled.

14.10 DAILY REPORTS

  1. The operator shall ensure that a copy of the following is provided to the Board daily:
    1. the daily well operation report;
    2. the daily geological report, including any formation evaluation logs and data; and
    3. in the case of a production installation, a summary, in the form of a daily production report, of the records referred to in paragraph 14.5(g) and the daily production record.

14.11 DAILY FORMATION FLOW TEST RECORDS AND REPORTS

  1. The operator shall ensure that
    1. in respect of exploration and delineation wells, a record of formation flow test results is submitted to the Board daily; and
    2. in respect of all wells, a formation flow test report is submitted to the Board as soon as the circumstances permit, following completion of the test.

14.12 DAILY PRODUCTION RECORD

The operator shall ensure that a daily production record, which includes the metering records and other information relating to the production of oil and gas and other fluids in respect of a pool or well, is retained and readily accessible to the Board until the field in which the pool is located is abandoned and at that time shall offer the record to the Board before destroying it.

14.13 WEEKLY GEOSCIENCE, GEOTECHNICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL OPERATIONS REPORT

  1. For any geoscientific, geotechnical or environmental program (with field work), the operator shall ensure weekly status reports are provided to the Board from the commencement of the program until its completion, suspension or cancellation.
  2. The reports required by sub-section (1) shall be in a form and manner prescribed by the Board and shall include, at a minimum:
    1. the program number assigned by the Board;
    2. identification, location and status of the installations, operations site, vessels, vehicles (to include vibroseis, only onshore COGOA) or aircraft undertaking the program;
    3. a description of activities undertaken during the preceding week, including
      1. key project dates, including commencement, suspension and completion dates,
      2. quantity of data collected, broken down by data acquisition technique;
      3. identification and location of data collection points, lines or areas;
      4. maps illustrating the completed data acquisition program against the proposed data acquisition program;
      5. maps illustrating the upcoming data acquisition program;
      6. a time breakdown of program activities including any non-productive time;
      7. a summary of causes of non-productive time; and
      8. confirmation of compliance or of failure to comply with each conditions of the authorization;
    4. for any offshore program
      1. the number of persons onboard all installations, vessels or aircraft directly involved in the program;
      2. number of persons transferred by helicopter or vessel directly involved in the program;
      3. communications or interactions with fishing activities;
      4. a summary of any incidents;
      5. any wildlife observations or interactions; and
      6. actions taken to avoid interference with wildlife, fishing activities or any other commercial uses of the sea.
    5. for any onshore geophysical or geotechnical program, the location of any shot hole where water or gas comes to the surface of a shot-hole; (paragraph (e) for COGOA onshore only).

14.14 MONTHLY PRODUCTION REPORT

The operator shall ensure that a report summarizing the production data collected during the preceding month is submitted to the Board not later than the 15th day of each month.

14.15 FINAL WELL HISTORY AND OPERATIONS REPORT

  1. The well history report shall contain a record of all operational, engineering, petrophysical, geophysical and geological information that is relevant to the drilling and evaluation of the well.
  2. Every operator shall ensure that
    1. a well termination record is provided to the Board within 21 days of the well termination date following the abandonment, suspension, completion or re-completion of a well;
    2. a well history report is provided to the Board within 90 days after the well termination date in the case of an exploratory or delineation well or within 45 days after the well termination date in the case of a development well; and
    3. where the well operation involves a workover or well intervention, a well operations report is provided to the Board within 30 days of completion of the operation.
  3. As applicable, the reports required by paragraphs (1)(b) and (1)(c) shall contain a record of all operational, engineering, petrophysical, geophysical, geological information that is relevant to the well operation, including any problems encountered during the well operation.
  4. In addition to the requirements of sub-section (2), the report required by paragraph (1) (c) shall describe any impact on the performance of the well including any effect on productivity, injectivity and recovery.
  5. The record required by paragraph (1)(a) shall describe the manner in which the well has been abandoned, suspended, completed or re-completed in accordance with these regulations and shall include a schematic of the well illustrating the nature and location of the plugs used to abandon or suspend the well or the equipment used to complete the well.
  6. The records and reports required by sub-section (1) shall be signed and dated by the operator or the operator’s representative.

14.16 WELL COSTS

  1. The operator shall provide to the Board:
    1. the detailed estimated cost breakdown of the well operation at the time of an application for well approval; and
    2. the actual detailed cost breakdown of the well operation within 90 days of completion of the well operation.

14.17 ANNUAL PRODUCTION REPORT

  1. The operator shall ensure that, not later than March 31 of each year, an annual production report for a pool, field or zone is submitted to the Board providing information that demonstrates how the operator manages and intends to manage the resource without causing waste, including:
    1. for the preceding year, details on the performance, production forecast, reserve revision, reasons for significant deviations in well performance from predictions in previous annual production reports, gas conservation resources, efforts to maximize recovery and the operating and capital expenditures, including the cost of each well operation; and
    2. “For the preceding year, the current year and the next two years, capital costs and fixed operating costs for each well and field in the project, variable costs, commodity prices and pipeline and transportation commitments.”

14.18 FINAL / ANNUAL SAFETY REPORT

  1. Within 90 days following completion or suspension of an authorized work or activity, or for an ongoing work or activity (i.e. that will continue into the following calendar year), not later than March 31 of each year, the operator shall ensure that a safety report relating to the preceding calendar year is provided to the Board and includes
    1. a summary of safety performance during the applicable calendar year, including with respect to the safety goals identified through the management system; and
    2. a discussion of efforts undertaken to improve safety.

14.19 FINAL GEOSCIENTIFIC, GEOTECHNICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

  1. For each geoscientific, geotechnical or environmental program the operator shall ensure an environmental report is provided to the Board within 90 days after the operation is completed or suspended and includes
    1. a description of the general environmental conditions, during the geoscientific, geotechnical or environmental program and, if applicable, a description of ice management activities and non-productive time caused by weather or ice;
    2. a summary of environmental protection measures and mitigation actions taken and a summary of the project’s performance with respect to any environmental goals identified through the management system;
    3. an analysis of the effectiveness of any mitigation actions taken, and any resulting adjustments or improvements made to the program; and
    4. a description of environmental contingency plan exercises.

14.20 FINAL DRILLING ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

  1. For each drilling installation for an exploration or delineation well, the operator shall ensure that an environmental report relating to each well is provided to the Board within 90 days after the well termination date and includes:
    1. a description of the general environmental conditions during the drilling program and a description of ice management activities and non-productive time caused by weather or ice; and
    2. a summary of environmental protection measures and mitigation actions taken and a summary of the project’s performance with respect to any environmental goals identified through the management system.
    3. an analysis of the effectiveness of any mitigation actions taken, and any resulting adjustments or improvements made to the program, and
    4. a description of environmental contingency plan exercises.

14.21 FINAL/ANNUAL PRODUCTION PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

  1. For each production project or offshore (only AA) pipeline project, the operator shall ensure that, not later than March 31 of each year, an annual environmental report relating to the preceding year is provided to the Board and includes
    1. for an installation or an operations site a summary of the general environmental conditions during the year;
    2. a description of ice management activities;
    3. a summary of environmental protection measures and mitigation actions taken, and a summary of the project’s performance with respect to any environmental goals identified through the management system;
    4. an analysis of the effectiveness of the mitigation actions taken and any resulting adjustments or improvements made to the program; and
    5. a description of environmental contingency plan exercises.

14.22 OTHER ANNUAL REPORTS

The operator shall ensure that the Board is made aware, at least once a year, of any report containing relevant information regarding applied research work or studies obtained or compiled by the operator relating to the operator’s work or activities and that a copy of any report is provided to the Board on request.

14.23 FINAL GEOSCIENTIFIC, GEOTECHNICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM DATA REPORTING

  1. The operator shall ensure that the final operations and processing report(s) as defined in subsection (2) of this section and the interpretation report as defined in subsection (3) of this section (if applicable) together with the final processed data are provided to the Board within 12 months of completing any geoscientific, geotechnical or environmental program.
  2. The operations and processing report(s) required by sub-section (1) shall be provided in a form and manner prescribed by the Board and shall contain as applicable:
    1. the program number assigned by the Board;
    2. the title, author and date of the report and the executive summary and table of contents;
    3. the names of the operator, contractors and any interest owners;
    4. a description of all installations, vessels or aircraft used to execute the program, including any support vessels;
    5. a description of the program including
      1. key project dates, including commencement, suspension and completion dates,
      2. the equipment used,
      3. the operational methods employed,
      4. the number of crew, and
      5. the quantity of data collected, broken down by data acquisition technique;
    6. location maps illustrating the data acquisition program including the identification and location of data points, lines or areas and the type of data acquired;
    7. location maps that show the boundaries of the area that is subject to each interest covered by the operation and the identification number of each such interest;
    8. a time breakdown illustrating the type and duration of all activities including any non-productive time;
      1. for any geoscience program,
      2. the instrument type, the accuracy and repeatability of the navigation system, the accuracy of the positioning and survey systems, the parameters and configuration of both the energy source and the recording system, and
      3. a description of the geoscience data acquired including the data processing sequence and parameters; and
    9. shot point maps, track plots, flight lines with numbered fiducial points, gravity station maps, location maps for any samples or core holes, and any photographs and videos as applicable.
  3. Subject to subsection (6), the interpretation report required by sub-section (1) shall be provided in a form and manner prescribed by the Board and shall contain as applicable:
    1. bathymetric or topographic maps compiled from the data collected;
    2. a written discussion along with interpretative maps that are appropriate to the data collected including
      1. structure and isopach maps, structure and interval maps in time and depth, velocity and residual velocity maps, and seismic attribute maps
      2. final Bouguer gravity maps and any residual or other processed gravity maps,
      3. final total magnetic intensity contour maps and any residual, gradient or other processed magnetic maps,
      4. final controlled source electromagnetic resistivity maps, and
      5. surficial maps generated from any seabed, geohazard or a pipeline route survey;
      6. any geological maps;
    3. a written discussion of the interpretation with reference to
      1. geological and geophysical correlations,
      2. , correlations between gravity, magnetic, controlled source electromagnetic and seismic data including correlations to any data acquired during previous surveys,
      3. in the case of seabed surveys, the geophysical correlation of shallow seismic data with data from cores and geotechnical boreholes,
      4. details of corrections or adjustments that were applied to the data during processing or compilation,
      5. the operator’s velocity information that was used in a time-to-depth conversion,
      6. core and sample descriptions,
      7. geoscientific and geotechnical analyses;
      8. geohazard reports; and
    4. a description of synthetic seismograms and seismic modelling studies that use synthetic seismograms, vertical seismic profiles at wells that were used in the interpretation of the operation data, amplitude versus offset studies, and any seismic inversion studies.
  4. The final reports required by sub-section (1) shall be accompanied by all acquired data in a form and manner prescribed by the Board including, as applicable,
    1. track plot, shotpoint location and sample location data, time stamped,
    2. bathymetric data,
    3. all final processed seismic data for each 2D seismic line in time and depth,
    4. a final processed 3D volume and each line generated from that volume in time and depth,
    5. any vertical seismic profiles, synthetic seismograms, amplitude versus offset data or any seismic inversion data,
    6. for any seabed, geohazard or a pipeline route survey,
      1. processed high-resolution data for each line,
      2. location maps for any samples, and
      3. any photographs and any videos;
      4. sub-bottom profiler and side-scan sonar data;
    7. for any environmental programs, any photographs and any videos;
    8. in the case of a gravity or magnetic survey, a series of gravity and magnetic profiles across all gravimetric and magnetic surveys;
    9. in the case of controlled source electromagnetic data, final processed cross-sections on all receiver lines, curves from all receivers and 2D and 3D final models generated.
  5. In submitting a map pursuant to subparagraph (3)(b), the operator shall incorporate any previous data collected by the operator that are related to the area covered by the map and that are of a type similar to the data from which the map was produced.
  6. An operator who has conducted a non-exclusive survey need not submit an interpretation report required by sub-section (3) provided the data from that survey are available for purchase or lease by the public.

14.24 DATA PURCHASES

  1. Where an operator who has conducted a non-exclusive survey ceases to make available for purchase or lease any data from that survey, the operator shall ensure that, within 12 months after the date on which the operator ceased to make the data available, the interpretation report specified by sub-section 14.23 (3) is provided to the Board.
  2. Every purchaser of geoscientific, geotechnical or environmental data that is in an area that is subject to an interest, where the costs of the purchase of the data are credited against a (work) deposit or rentals requirements of the interest, and every participant, shall submit to the Board an interpretation report specified by sub-section 14.23 (3).
  3. Where a purchaser of geoscientific data that from an area that is subject to an interest has reprocessed and/or reinterpreted, as applicable, the data and the costs of the reprocessing are submitted as part of an application to be credited against a (work) deposit or rental requirements of the interest, the purchaser shall submit to the Board a processing report specified by sub-section 14.23 (2), interpretation report specified by sub-section 14.23(3) and any accompanying data as specified by sub-section 14.23 (4).
  4. The reports and data required by subsections (2) and (3) shall be submitted by the interest holder prior to the time the costs referred to in subsection (2) or (3) are credited.
  5. A person who has submitted a report referred to in this section shall, in respect of data that pertain to the location of shot points or stations, immediately notify the Chief Conservation Officer of any errors, omissions or corrections identified in or made to the data subsequent to the submission of the report.
  6. A report referred to in this section shall be submitted in the form and manner approved by the Chief Conservation Officer.

14.25 RETENTION OF GEOPHYSICAL DATA

  1. Following completion of any geoscience, geotechnical or environmental program, the operator shall ensure the following information and materials are retained in Canada:
    1. all field and final processed data in digital format and a description of the data format;
    2. any samples; and
    3. all other data, observations, readings and supporting information obtained during the program.
  2. The Chief Conservation Officer may require an operator to supply the information and materials referred to in subsection (1) in a form and manner determined by the Chief Conservation Officer.

14.26 DESTRUCTION OR REMOVAL OF INFORMATION FROM CANADA

  1. No person shall destroy, discard or remove from Canada any of the information or material referred to in section 14.25 unless the person has given the Chief Conservation Officer not less than 60 days’ notice of that intention and, if requested by the Chief Conservation Officer within the notice period, has given the Chief Conservation Officer the information or material or a copy thereof.
  2. Information or material referred to in section 14.25 may be removed from Canada without the approval of the Chief Conservation Officer for the purpose of being processed in a foreign country, provided that the information or material is returned to Canada as soon as the processing is complete.

14.27 APPROVAL BY CHIEF CONSERVATION OFFICER

The Chief Conservation Officer shall approve the destruction, discarding or removal from Canada of any of the information or material referred to in section 14.25 if the Chief Conservation Officer is satisfied the information or material is not of significant use or value.

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