By: Sydney Sybydlo
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
- Federal – Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality — Trihalomethanes
- Federal – Publication after assessment of the substances in the 14 Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group specified on the Domestic Substances List (section 77 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999)
- Ontario – Regulatory changes under the Endangered Species Act to extend application of conditional exemptions to newly listed species and update the conditional exemption for the operation of wind facilities
- Quebec – Hazardous Products Information— Occupational health and safety — Occupational health and safety in mines — Safety and health in foundry works—Amendment
United States
- Section 45W Credit for Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles
- Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Large Municipal Waste Combustors Voluntary Remand Response and 5-Year Review; Reopening of Comment Period
- Toxics Release Inventory (TRI); Clarification of Toxic Chemicals Due to Automatic Additions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Under the National Defense Authorization Act
- Clean Water Act Methods Update Rule 22 for the Analysis of Contaminants in Effluent
- Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed 2025-26 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations (Preliminary)
- National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources Technology Review
- HB471 – Fix Our Forests Act
European Union
- No newsworthy proposals this month.
Canada – Federal
Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality — Trihalomethanes
Published Date: 11 January 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry, Office Spaces, Building Management & Maintenance
The Canadian Minister of Health has announced their intention to establish a maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water as “0.100 mg/L (100 µg/L) based on a locational running annual average of a minimum of quarterly samples taken at the points in the distribution system with the highest potential for THM levels.” THMs would include four species: “chloroform, [Bromodichloromethane (BDCM], [Dibromochloromethane (DBCM)], and bromoform.”
According to the government, “THMs are a group of disinfection by-products that are formed primarily when the chlorine used to disinfect drinking water reacts with organic matter found naturally in raw water supplies. The main sources of Canadians’ exposure to THMs are the ingestion of THMs in drinking water and the inhalation and dermal absorption of THMs from water-related activities (for example bathing and showering).” Exposure to THMs is associated with certain cancers and developmental effects in humans.
Interested parties may submit comments until 4 April 2025.
Additional information is available here and here.
Publication after assessment of the substances in the 14 Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group specified on the Domestic Substances List (section 77 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999)
Published Date: 25 January 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The Government of Canada has announced its intention to add 12 substances in the Terpene and Terpenoid Substances Group to the List of Toxic Substances contained in Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, to regulate them as such.
According to the Government of Canada, the substances “are generally used as ingredients in cosmetics; drugs, including natural health products (NHPs); cleaning products; and air fresheners. [They] are also used as essential oils used in do-it-yourself (DIY) applications to create these products, or are added to diffusers, facial steamers, or baths, among others. Some of these substances are also present in pest control products (PCPs) as formulants. In addition, some occur naturally in food and may be used as food flavouring agents.”
The changes would be made by amending the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (SC1999,c33).
Interested persons may submit comments until 26 March 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Ontario
Regulatory changes under the Endangered Species Act to extend application of conditional exemptions to newly listed species and update the conditional exemption for the operation of wind facilities
Published Date: 13 January 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has announced its intention to update endangered species protection rules to “extend the application of the conditional exemptions to species newly classified as threatened or endangered [and] amend the conditions in the conditional exemption for wind facilities to reduce impacts to endangered bat species.”
The changes would extend protections to three endangered bat species, two threatened insect species, and one endangered tree species, with some exceptions. They would also require, for conditional exemptions for wind facilities, registrants to “[i]mplement a new common approach to minimizing adverse effects on bat species, or, [d]evelop their own customized approach to minimize adverse effects on bat species.”
The changes would be made by amending the General – Endangered Species regulation.
Interested parties may submit comments until 12 February 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Quebec
Hazardous Products Information— Occupational health and safety — Occupational health and safety in mines — Safety and health in foundry works—Amendment
Published Date: 26 December 2024
Industry Sector: General Industry, Building Management & Maintenance
The Government of Quebec has announced its intention to:
- Incorporate “an up-to-date and evolving standard for compressed breathing air used in respiratory protective apparatuses”;
- Postpone “the coming into force of the requirements pertaining to the certificate of qualification in arboriculture to 8 June 2026.”; and
- Adjust “the provision applicable to the minimum concentration of oxygen in the air required in confined spaces within establishments in order to [conciliate] that requirement for oxygen concentration with the requirement for oxygen concentration in confided spaces at construction sites as well as outside of confined spaces”.
The change would be made by amending the Hazardous Products Information Regulation, the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety, the Regulation respecting occupational health and safety in mines, and the Regulation respecting safety and health in foundry works.
Interested parties may submit comments until 9 February 2025.
Additional information is available here.
United States
Section 45W Credit for Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles
Published Date: 14 January 2025
Industry Sector: road_transportation, hardware_manufacturing
The United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced its intention to establish rules “that would provide guidance on the qualified commercial clean vehicle credit. [The rules] would affect eligible taxpayers that place a qualified commercial clean vehicle in service during a taxable year [and] affect manufacturers of qualified commercial clean vehicles.”
Interested parties may submit comments until 17 March 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Large Municipal Waste Combustors Voluntary Remand Response and 5-Year Review; Reopening of Comment Period
Published Date: 16 January 2025
Industry Sector: Utilities & Communications
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reopening the comment period for its proposal to update “new source performance standards (NSPS) and emission guidelines (EG) for large municipal waste combustion (MWC) units.” Large MWC units are considered “incinerators that combust greater than 250 tons per day (tpd) of municipal solid waste.”
According to the EPA, the changes would “reflect the results from a reevaluation of the maximum achievable control technology (MACT) floor levels, a 5-year review, and the removal of startup, shutdown and malfunction exclusions and exceptions. [They would] streamline regulatory language, revise recordkeeping and electronic notification and reporting requirements, re-establish new and existing source applicability dates, [and] clarify requirements for certain air curtain incinerators,” among other administrative changes.
Emissions limits in the EG, “except for carbon monoxide (CO) limits for two subcategories of combustors, and all nine emission limits in the NSPS” would also be updated.
Interested parties may now submit comments until 16 July 2025.
Additional information is available here and here.
Toxics Release Inventory (TRI); Clarification of Toxic Chemicals Due to Automatic Additions of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Under the National Defense Authorization Act
Published Date: 17 January 2025
Industry Sector: Chemicals Industry
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to add per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to the toxics release inventory (TRI). According to the EPA, the changes would “explicitly include PFAS that are added to the TRI chemical list automatically pursuant to the [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA)] in the regulation’s definition of ‘toxic chemical.’ [which would confirm] that the TRI supplier notification provision requires covered suppliers to notify customers receiving a mixture or other trade name product containing a TRI-listed chemical with the first shipment of each calendar year, with such a requirement beginning on January 1 of the applicable year.”
Interested parties may submit comments until 18 February 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Clean Water Act Methods Update Rule 22 for the Analysis of Contaminants in Effluent
Published Date: 21 January 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to develop new test methods for water pollutant analyses to, according to the EPA, “[increase] the quality and consistency of data collected for the purposes of the Clean Water Act.”
The proposed test methods would address “per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and [would] add methods previously published by voluntary consensus bodies that industries and municipalities would use for reporting under the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program.”
Other changes would “withdraw the seven Aroclor (PCB mixtures) parameters [and] simplify the sampling requirements for two volatile organic compounds.”
Interested parties may submit comments until 20 February 2025.
Additional information is available here.
Migratory Bird Hunting; Proposed 2025-26 Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations (Preliminary)
Published Date: 21 January 2025
Industry Sector: Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed hunting rules “for certain migratory game birds for the 2025-26 hunting season.” It “provides the regulatory schedule, describes the proposed regulatory alternatives for the 2025-26 general duck seasons, and provides preliminary proposals that vary from the 2024-25 hunting season regulations.”
Interested parties may submit comments until 20 February 2025.
Additional information is available here.
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources Technology Review
Published Date: 22 January 2025
Industry Sector: Chemicals Industry, Agriculture Industry, Oil & Gas Industry
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to “establish a new area source category to address chemical manufacturing process units (CMPUs) using ethylene oxide (EtO).” It would notably “list EtO in table 1 to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Chemical Manufacturing Area Sources (referred to as the CMAS NESHAP in this document) and to add EtO-specific requirements to the CMAS NESHAP.”
Other changes would “add a fenceline monitoring program for EtO, [add] new requirements for pressure vessels and pressure relief devices (PRDs), […] add new leak detection and repair (LDAR) requirements to the CMAS NESHAP for equipment leaks in organic HAP service and heat exchange systems, [and add] performance testing once every 5 years and to add provisions for electronic reporting.”
Interested parties may submit comments until 24 March 2025.
Additional information is available here.
HB471 – Fix Our Forests Act
Published Date: 28 January 2025
Industry Sector: General Industry
The United States Government has announced its intention to update rules to address wildfire risks in the country. According to the government, the changes would notably “[establish] requirements for managing forests on federal land, including requirements concerning reducing wildfire threats, expediting the review of certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and other activities.”
The changes would also “[expedite] the review of certain forest management projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and [exempt] certain activities from NEPA review [They would] also [limit] consultation requirements concerning threatened and endangered species under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976.”
Past months’ proposed changes are available here: December 2024, November 2024, October 2024, September 2024, August 2024, July 2024
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