By: Cheryl Wong
This is a list of select proposed EHS regulatory changes in Canada, the United States, and the European Union. Nimonik monitors EHS legislation, regulations and standards in over 30 countries and 400 jurisdictions. If you would like to track EHS legislation in specific regions, jurisdictions or countries, we are happy to help. Please send us a request for more information here and we will get in touch shortly.
Canada
United States
- Reconsideration of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
- Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program: Standards for 2026 and 2027, Partial Waiver of 2025 Cellulosic Biofuel Volume Requirement, and Other Changes; Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
- Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability Standard CIP-003-11—Cyber Security—Security Management Controls
- Virtualization Reliability Standards
- Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings
European Union
- No newsworthy proposals this month.
British Columbia
Natural Resource Permitting Improvements
Published Date: 22 September 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
The Government of British Columbia is seeking feedback on Natural Resource Permitting Improvements. According to the Government, the change would notably include:
- removing “existing authorization requirements in some instances for removing groundwater encountered while digging during construction projects”;
- “allowing low volume groundwater use up to 2 cubic metres (2,000 litres) per day without an authorization in areas with available groundwater”;
- “exploring opportunities for qualified proponents to carry out stream channel or fish habitat restoration and maintenance projects”;
- “expanding exemptions for low-risk activities in riparian areas, [introducing] flexibility for low-risk activities and recovery efforts in riparian areas, and [addressing] unclear or missing definitions in the Riparian Areas Protection Regulation”;
- “exploring the development of a new streamlined review process for small quantities of water on streams and aquifers where the withdrawal is not expected to have an impact on other authorized water users, on land or other property, and where there are no other significant environmental or cultural concerns”;
- “streamlining the application review and decision process for existing use groundwater applications”;
- “exploring how to better apply the mitigation hierarchy of ‘avoid, minimize, restore-onsite, and offset’ for activities that may impact wetlands”; and
- “exploring options to apply compensation measures through the strategic use of offset payments to support wetland restoration activities”.
Interested parties may submit feedback by October 17, 2025 for select topics, and by December 12, 2025 for others.
Additional information is available here.
United States
Reconsideration of the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
Published Date: 16 September 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management and Maintenance
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to “amend the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) to remove program obligations for most source categories, including the distribution segment of the petroleum and natural gas systems source category […], and suspend program obligations for [certain] segments until reporting year 2034”.
These changes would be implemented by amending 40 CFR 98 Subpart A General Provision and 40 CFR 98 Subpart W Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems, and repealing certain other subparts of 40 CFR 98.
Interested persons are invited to submit comments by November 3, 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program: Standards for 2026 and 2027, Partial Waiver of 2025 Cellulosic Biofuel Volume Requirement, and Other Changes; Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
Published Date: 18 September 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a supplemental proposal to Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program: Standards for 2026 and 2027, Partial Waiver of 2025 Cellulosic Biofuel Volume Requirement, and Other Changes, which “proposed the renewable fuel volumes under the RFS program for the 2026 and 2027 compliance years”.
Specifically, the EPA is proposing to:
- “add a new “[small refinery exemption (SRE)] reallocation volume” term in the percentage standard equations for 2026 and 2027 that, taken together, would account for the 2023-2025 exempted [Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs)]”; and
- “revis[e] [the] proposed percentage standards for 2026 and 2027 to include both the proposed SRE reallocation volumes and a better-informed projection of exempted gasoline and diesel for 2026 and 2027”.
Interested persons are invited to submit comments by October 31, 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability Standard CIP-003-11—Cyber Security—Security Management Controls
Published Date: 23 September 2025
Industry Sector: Utilities and Communications
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to approve Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standard: CIP-003-11 (Cyber Security—Security Management Controls).
According to the government, the proposed reliability standard notably:
- “specifies security management controls that establish responsibility and accountability to protect low impact bulk electric system (BES) Cyber Systems against compromise that could lead to misoperation or instability in the bulk electric system”; and
- “requires entities with assets containing low impact BES Cyber Systems to document and maintain plans that include [certain] controls”.
Interested persons are invited to submit comments by November 24, 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Virtualization Reliability Standards
Published Date: 23 September 2025
Industry Sector: Utilities and Communications
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to approve eleven modified Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards.
According to the government, the proposed changes would notably:
- “support different security models by adjusting language around perimeter-based models to accommodate other security models”;
- recognize “virtualization infrastructure and virtual machines through new and revised terms in the [North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)] Glossary”;
- broaden “change management approaches beyond a baseline-only configuration to recognize the dynamic nature of virtualized technologies”; and
- manage “accessibility and attack surfaces of a virtualized configuration”.
Interested persons are invited to submit comments by November 24, 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings
Published Date: 25 September 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management and Maintenance
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is extending the post-hearing comment period for its proposed standard for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.
According to the government, “[t]he proposed standard would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction. The standard would clarify employer obligations and the steps necessary to effectively protect employees from hazardous heat.”
Individuals and organizations who filed a timely Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) at the hearing are invited to submit comments by October 30, 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Past months’ proposed changes are available here: August 2025, July 2025, June 2025, May 2025, April 2025, March 2025
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