Chemical Substances
www.chemicalsubstances.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
The Petroleum Sector Stream Approach
The Petroleum Sector Stream Approach includes approximately 160 substances identified as priorities for action through the categorization process and that were set aside to be addressed in a sectoral approach. A large portion of high priority petroleum substances are used or manufactured during petroleum refining or bitumen / heavy crude oil upgrading activities.
Initial information gathering has allowed the triage of the approximately 160 
Petroleum Sector Stream Approach Substances into 5 streams based on their production and uses:
- Stream 0- substances not produced by the petroleum sector and/or not in commerce;
- Stream 1- site-restricted substances, which are substances that are not expected to be transported off refinery, upgrader or natural gas processing facility sites;
- Stream 2- industry-restricted substances, which are substances that may leave a petroleum-sector facility and be transported to other industrial facilities (for example, for use as a feedstock, fuel or blending component), but that do not reach the public market in the form originally acquired;
- Stream 3- substances that are primarily used by industries and consumers as fuels;
- Stream 4- substances that may be present in products available to the consumer.
Environment Canada and Health Canada have developed a plan that includes information gathering, assessment of the substances, and development of risk management instruments, if required.
Section 71 Notice (Mandatory Information Gathering Survey)
Screening Assessments
Background
In December 2006 the Government of Canada announced the Chemicals Management Plan. A key element of the Chemicals Management Plan is the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach which includes approximately 160 petroleum substances that are considered high priority to be addressed under a sectoral approach because of the following considerations:
- the group consists of a large number of substances;
- the substances are primarily related to the petroleum sector; and
- they are complex mixtures.
Many of the 160 substances are expected to be limited to petroleum sector facility sites, meaning that they are:
- used for blending into finished marketed products;
- confined within an oil & gas facility; or
- consumed as fuels or as feedstocks within a petroleum sector facility.
Environment Canada and Health Canada have developed a plan that includes data collection, assessment of the substances, and development of risk management instruments, if required. The following schematic outlines these activities.
Information Gathering
A first information gathering Notice was issued in March 2008 in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 142, No. 10 - March 8, 2008 that applied to 145 of the approximately 160 substances (data is already available for the others). This Notice applied to any person who, during the 2006 calendar year, owned or operated:
- a petroleum refining facility;
- an upgrading facility; or
- a facility that is engaged in both petroleum refining and upgrading.
This exercise also identified which companies manufacture or acquire each substance, and obtained quantity ranges for these activities, in a tiered approach. Upon examination of information on their production and uses, the high priority petroleum substances were triaged into five streams:
- Stream 0- substances not produced by the petroleum sector and/or not in commerce;
- Stream 1- site-restricted substances, which are substances that are not expected to be transported off refinery, upgrader or natural gas processing facility sites;
- Stream 2- industry-restricted substances, which are substances that may leave a petroleum-sector facility and be transported to other industrial facilities (for example, for use as a feedstock, fuel or blending component), but that do not reach the public market in the form originally acquired;
- Stream 3- substances that are primarily used by industries and consumers as fuels;
- Stream 4- substances that may be present in products available to the consumer.
A subsequent information gathering Notice was issued in July 2009 in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 143, No. 30 - July 25, 2009, that applied to 52 of the approximately 160 substances in the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach.
For those parts of the petroleum sector not subject to the Notices, research and voluntary submissions were used to collect this type of information and any other information required.
Screening Assessment and Risk Management
Information obtained through the section 71 survey Notices and other means has been compiled and analyzed in order to determine:
- substances that are no longer in commerce and may be recommended for application of the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions;
- substances that are similar and can be addressed with a group-based approach; or
- substances for which a more focused approach is required.
The results are being used to direct the path forward for the Petroleum Sector Stream Approach. If you have questions or comments, please contact us. Indicate on the envelope or subject line "CMP Petroleum Stream Inquiry".
