Interim Order on Vehicle Emissions & DSL Change

Summary#

This Canada Gazette issue publishes several notices from the Department of the Environment. Key items: an Interim Order Modifying the Operation of Certain Regulations Made Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 that temporarily changes how some vehicle and engine emission rules operate; a notice of intent to remove the significant new activity requirement for the chemical 1,2-oxathiolane, 2,2-dioxide (CAS 1120-71-4) from the Domestic Substances List; and a notice that an equivalency agreement with British Columbia on methane from the oil and gas sector is available for review as of February 22, 2025.

What it does#

• Interim changes under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999:
  • Revises the meaning of “medium‑duty passenger vehicle” in the On‑Road Vehicle and Engine Emission Regulations so it matches the equivalent U.S. regulatory definition.
  • Changes how certain light‑duty vehicle categories are read in the Passenger Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations, including treating a reference to 4 536 kg (10,000 pounds) as referring to 6 350 kg (14,000 pounds).
  • Suspends the application of the trailer provisions in the Heavy‑duty Vehicle and Engine Greenhouse Gas Emission Regulations for trailers whose manufacture was completed on or after January 1, 2020.
  • The Minister made the Interim Order on January 31, 2025. It is temporary and is set to end one year after it was made (around January 31, 2026) or earlier if the regulations are amended or the order is repealed.
• Domestic Substances List change:
  • Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada propose to remove the significant new activity (SNAc) requirement for 1,2‑oxathiolane, 2,2‑dioxide (CAS 1120‑71‑4), moving it from Part 2 to Part 1 of the Domestic Substances List because the notified uses raised no concerns in their assessment.
  • The public may comment on this proposal for 60 days from publication.
• Equivalency agreement with British Columbia:
  • The government is making available the Agreement on the Equivalency of Federal and British Columbia Regulations Respecting the Release of Methane from the Oil and Gas Sector in British Columbia, 2025 for review on the CEPA registry as of February 22, 2025.

Who's affected#

• Vehicle and engine manufacturers, importers, and testing/ certification bodies who work with on‑road, light‑duty and heavy‑duty vehicles and trailers. They may see changes in how certain vehicles are classified or regulated.
• Companies that manufacture or use trailers completed on or after January 1, 2020, because the Interim Order says those trailers are not subject to certain federal heavy‑duty GHG rules while the order is in effect.
• Businesses and operators in the upstream oil and gas sector in British Columbia who will want to review the proposed equivalency agreement.
• Manufacturers, importers, processors or users of 1,2‑oxathiolane, 2,2‑dioxide (CAS 1120‑71‑4) — removing the SNAc would lift the prior requirement to submit a significant new activity notification for certain new uses.
• The general public may be indirectly affected where these changes alter vehicle emissions rules or chemical notification requirements, but the notices mainly affect regulated businesses and regulators.

Why it matters#

• The Interim Order quickly adjusts federal vehicle and engine rules to align certain technical definitions and references with U.S. regulations and to pause trailer GHG requirements for newer trailers. That can change compliance obligations and technical testing or certification for manufacturers and importers.
• Rescinding the SNAc for 1,2‑oxathiolane, 2,2‑dioxide (CAS 1120‑71‑4) means fewer pre‑use notice requirements for that chemical, reflecting the government’s assessment that notified or likely uses do not raise health or environmental concerns.
• The equivalency agreement notice gives industry and the public a chance to see how federal and provincial methane rules would work together in British Columbia, which affects how methane releases from oil and gas operations are regulated in that province.
• There is a public comment window (for the DSL change: 60 days from February 22, 2025) if people or businesses want to respond before final decisions are made. Contact details and submission options were provided in the Gazette notice.